Spirit's Life 2
by MustangLover97
Summary: Life's been good for the past six months. I felt satisfied, happy even. I saw combat, I got to fight, and I got to be with the people I liked the most. I may not have been able to shift, but I was still doing what I loved. I should have known better. Nothing good lasts forever. Read on, if you dare . . . Part II of Spirit's Life. Slight crossover of X-Men.
1. The Beginning

_**My name cannot be pronounced by the human tongue, but you may call me Spirit. If you don't know who I am, then here is part of my story. My story began a few years ago with the X-Men, when I was found by Logan (aka Wolverine) on the side of the road after I escaped from the scientists that had held me captive. I'm a mutant of mutants. I was born a wolf, experimented on to become the ultimate shapeshifting weapon; I wasn't as willing as I was supposed to be. I made and lost friends at the X-Mansion, and I needed to get away for awhile after I was possessed by Phoenix, Jean Grey's alter ego, I guess you could say. Logan helped me get into the Army as a German Shepherd dog. I was made a partner of a man who went by the name of Duke and, by default, his friend Ripcord.**_

 _ **Life's been good for the past six months. I felt satisfied, happy even. I saw combat, I got to fight, and I got to be with the people I liked the most. I may not have been able to shift, but I was still doing what I loved.**_

 _ **I should have known better. Nothing good lasts forever.**_

 **Hey guys, so this is Part II of Spirit's Life. If you're new to Spirit's Life, I highly recommend you read Part I first, which takes place with the X-Men. Please R &R, and enjoy this first chapter of Spirit's Life 2.**

()()()()()()

I laid in the waiting area, watching as men scurried around like ants who's hill had been kicked over. I didn't pay them much attention, waiting for my handler instead. He'd gone to get some stuff ready for the mission tonight, and I didn't want to get under his feet; he could get tense when it came to missions. Instead, I took a chance to get to know the area, my one blue and one black eye gazing around the area. The black eye was a "gift" from Phoenix from her time possessing me. I'd been a rabid monster during that time; definitely not my favorite thing to look back on.

I yawned and shook myself as I pushed myself up into a sitting position, gazing around as I pushed the memories away; I'd joined the Army to get rid of those memories, not relive them. My attention was drawn to a commotion off to the side, and my ears pricked as Duke strode into the room, barking out orders. I gave a bark of my own, and Duke's eyes snapped over to me. He gave a hint of a smile, clicking his fingers. I immediately ran to his side, dodging between legs and under crates before I came to a sliding stop next to him. I barked again, wagging my tail. Duke chuckled, ruffling the fur on my head.

"I need you on high alert tonight, Spirit," he said, kneeling down to place something into one of the pockets of my bulletproof vest; probably rations of something. "This is going to be a tough one; we're transporting some high tech stuff tonight. Think you can handle it?"

I gave a third bark of confirmation, eyes shining with excitement. Duke gave the dog tags around my neck a gentle tug - a ritual of ours - before he rose, turning to look at a group of Special Forces men in front of him.

"Alright, listen up! The Cougars will be front and back, Grizzly in the middle carrying the package. Minimum distance at all times. Choppers will cover us overhead," he said, looking from one soldier to the next. I stood at attention next to Duke's side, ears erect and my body still. As he finished talking, a man came forward, holding something in his hands.

"Captain Hauser," he said, handing him a handful of forms. I could almost hear him groan as he started filling out the paperwork. As I watch Duke, a familiar scent hits my nose. I wag my tail, looking over my shoulder to see Ripcord as he takes a case from another man.

"Not gonna explode, is it?" he joked.

The man didn't look as amused. "They're not weaponized yet," he said. "And the kill switches are attached to the launchers. All the same, I'd avoid potholes if I were you."

I mentally laughed at Ripcord's expression, even more so when he hurriedly hands the case off to another soldier. Duke gives him a look, and I have to work hard to keep my thoughts to myself; it wouldn't be good for the others to hear a feminine voice laughing in their heads.

"Why can't we just stick it in a chopper and fly it out?" Ripcord asked Duke as we started towards our ride, one of the Cougar vehicles. "If you want, I could-"

"We have our orders," Duke interrupted, clicking his fingers for me to get into the car. I did so without hesitation, moving to make room for the others. "Ok, people! We're on the clock, let's move!"

I barked to enforce his orders, sticking my head out one of the windows. Ripcord pushed my wagging tail from his face.

"Calm down, Spirit," he said, though he affectionately scratched my rump before getting into the drivers' seat. "This is going to be easy as pie. Maybe we'll have time to actually get some pie once this delivery is done and over with."

I growled playfully at my friend, watching as weapons were loaded and engines were turned out. Before too long, I felt the Cougar lurch underneath me. And we were off.

()()()()()()

 **So, I know that this chapter isn't very long, but it's mostly to give you guys a feel for how things are going to go, and I hope that you guys like it! Reviews make my day and allow chapters to be posted sooner! :)**

 **ML out**


	2. Boom

**Wow, there are a lot of you guys who followed this story. And a few newcomers as well; welcome to Spirit's Life! I will apologize now for the sarcastic voice you may hear in your head every now and again as you get sucked deeper and deeper into this (I would hope so at least); Spirit likes to torment other people besides me.**

 **Spirit: *glares***

 **Me: *grins madly***

 **Spirit: You're just asking for it.**

 **Me: Maybe just a little bit.**

 **Anyway, I hope to get some reviews (pretty please with sugar on top?!); reviews make my day and they give me motivation to continue this story. Thanks to all those who have reviewed!**

 **Hassingthecoolone: I can't thank you enough for your reviews! They are definitely the highlight of my week, and knowing how much you love this story makes me want to get the chapters up as fast as I can. (:**

 **HextheDaydreamer: I can't wait either! It'll definitely be a new twist on things; I'm especially excited for how she's going to react to Snake Eyes. (;**

 **laurenrulez1: And hopefully there'll be more after this one as well. (;**

 **Virginia l: I love it when people give me ideas! It means that this can keep going as long as the peeps are interested maybe even when they aren't. I'll definitely try to get Spirit there; the Pilot episode seems like a great place to start. (;**

()()()()()()

I went from window to window as the convey drove down the road, scenting the air. Ripcord may have thought this to be an easy mission, but I still had my doubts. Something just felt off. I tuned out Duke and Ripcord as they talked and bantered throughout the ride, concentrating on my assigned job. The windows were down, and I took in all that I could as the cool night breeze blew across my face.

It was hours later when I still felt on edge. I began pacing and whining, moving from window to window at a more frantic pace as I got more and more on edge.

"Settle down Spirit," Duke tells me calmly, turning his eyes back onto the road.

"Maybe she needs to use the bathroom," Ripcord suggested before the Cougar hit a pothole. He gave a small grimace, probably thinking about the man's words from earlier about whatever had been in that case, before realization came across his face. He started saying something to Duke just as the smell of gunpowder and chemicals hit my nose; a bomb. I start baying and barking, scrabbling for the door, but it was too late.

Something exploded in front of us, and I could see one of the helicopters drop from the sky, landing in a fiery inferno. I was thrown forward into the front seat as Ripcord slammed on the brakes, wrenching my shoulder. Seconds later, my healing ability took care of it and I was able to put weight back onto all four paws once more.

"Jesus!" he exclaimed. "Bird down!"

"Back up! Back up! Back up!" Duke said, trying to keep his voice calm, but I could smell the fear coming from his pores. He snatched up the radio as Ripcord slammed the Cougar into reverse. "Mother Goose, this is Bird Dog. We are under attack! Repeat, we are under attack!" He turned around and grabbed my scruff, forcing me to the floor. "Down, Spirit!"

I obediently crouched on the floor, eyes wide as I heard the bangs and crashed from around me. I pinned my ears, giving a soft whine as the explosions got louder, the smell of gunpowder and chemicals making my eyes water and my nose burn.

"Out!" Duke suddenly shouted. "everyone get out of the vehicles! Now!"

Then, the world turned upside down.

()()()()()()

 **Sorry that this is a short chapter; I'm mostly just trying to build up some suspense for you guys. Based on how many people are following and favorited this story, I would _hope_ that I'd get more than three reviews this time around *cough cough*. Anyway, the more reviews I get, the faster the next chapter comes up, which I promise will be longer than the last two combined. Love you guys, so happy that so many of you are following this story. Until next time,**

 **ML out**


	3. Discovered

**Well, I got four reviews, and a promise is a promise. (; I'm glad that you guys aren't too angry with me about the short chapters and, for your patience, here's a much longer chapter. Thanks to all of those who reviewed! They mean the world to me!**

 **Aria DeLoncray: Thanks for following! I'm really glad that you are enjoying the story.**

 **Hassingthecoolone: Thanks again for all your amazing reviews! They definitely make my day, and I love seeing people's reactions to the story. (:**

 **HextheDaydreamer: I'm not so much the minx as Spirit is. (; Hehe! Sorry, couldn't help myself. But seriously, I'm glad that you're enjoying the story and you'll have to let me know if this is how you imagined Spirit meeting Snake Eyes.**

 **blackrosewitch1996: I'm glad that you're enjoying the story. (: Hopefully this will make up for the short chapters.**

()()()()()()

I could feel blood on my fur, and my whole body ached. I whined softly in pain and tried to get up, but the car had been crushed like a soda can, pinning me under the seats. I whined louder when I smelt blood coming from the front of the car where Ripcord and Duke had been.

"You okay, Rip?" I could faintly hear Duke saying.

"Yeah, except for all the blood," Ripcord responded. My shoulders sagged in relief when I realized both of my friends were still alive. "Who the hell was that?"

Duke didn't answer, pulling Rip from the wreckage and setting him down before returning for me. "Spirit!" he called, whistling for me. I gave a bark to show him where I was, and he used his knife to cut the seats enough to give me some room. Then, he took hold of my scruff and drug me from the wreckage. I yelped, feeling something tear in my hind leg. I turned to see that a piece of the Cougar had cut deep into my leg, nearly completely severing my back foot.

"Shit!" Duke swore, setting me on the ground. I growled, nipping at him; he had to get out of danger. I could hear some kind of plane or jet coming from nearby, and I didn't want him or Ripcord to get hurt. Deciding to take a risk, I glared deep into his eyes.

' _Go!'_ I snapped. ' _Now!'_

Duke's eyes got big with surprise and horror, backpedaling in shock. "What the-?"

' _Now!'_ I repeated. ' _Get Ripcord out of here!'_ For extra measure, I gave his hand a sharp nip. Duke continued backpedaling until he reached Ripcord, pulling him over his shoulders.

I watched as Duke ran with his friend, and I turned to see the corpses of soldiers on the ground and a woman standing over them. I snarl, feeling my wounds slowly seal shut. Before too long, I was on my feet again, fur bristling and lips peeled back.

"Bad dog," the woman said nonchalantly, pulling a gun and aiming it towards my skull. She never got the chance to shoot.

I was faster than she realized, and I lunged forward to grab her wrist in my jaws. She cried out in pain, swinging her fist around to hammer it into the side of my head. I held on grimly before she slammed her fist into my head again, sending me flying. She must have had another agenda in mind, for she left me where I was, running after Duke and Ripcord. I snarled, getting dizzily to my feet before I raced after her. I didn't get too far before the Cougar that we'd been trapped in blew up, the force sending me flying forward. I tumbled tail over legs, landing on my side. Even more dazed than before, I got shakily to my feet, moving like a drunken dog as I fought to make my way towards my friends.

I found Ripcord first, bleeding and mostly out of it. I whined, licking his face.

"Spirit?" he murmured, feeling for my snout. I licked him again before shifting so that he could get to the first aid kit in my vest. He fumbled for it before shoving at my shoulder. "Go help, Duke. He went for the warheads."

I barked before turning and taking off, my bearings a little better now that I'd given myself some time to recover. I tried to follow Duke's scent, but everything was muddled with the scent of carnage. When I did manage to find it, I was too late. The woman that I had come into contact with earlier sent him flying backwards with a roundhouse kick to his head. I gave an angry snarl, starting towards her, but something else comes flying from the side, startling me and making me pause while also beating me to the punch.

A black figure took down a man that had been behind Duke, snapping his neck before pulling out a blade and skewering another man. The bang from a pistol nearly made me jump as a third man fell. Three men, all dead within seconds. I snarled at the black figure, slinking over to Duke and standing protectively by him.

"Spirit?" Duke said, looking at me in wonderment and surprise as he took in my firm stance; he'd seen me with a nearly severed foot almost two minutes beforehand.

I thought about answering, but get distracted by another explosion. As I'm looking for the source, Duke gets to his feet and races after the woman again. Frustrated at the whole thing, I give into temptation.

I use my legs to tear off the bulletproof vest before allowing instinct to take over. Brown and black fur turns tawny, my fangs get larger and muscles tear and rebuild until they're twice their normal size. My growl turns into a ferocious yowl not heard in thousands of years.

Eyes swivel towards me in disbelief as I changed into a sabertooth tiger. I give another yowl before lunging forward into one of the men in heavy armor. My claws rip through his armor as though it were butter, shredding the skin underneath. In a frenzy, I lunge from one man to the next, tearing them to pieces as explosions continue to go off around me. I'm given a wide berth, probably because no on knew how to react to a sabertooth tiger appearing out of nowhere, but I was killing the bad guys, so who really cared? As I took down another man, I could hear a spray of bullets coming from behind me. I turned towards it with a snarl, hackles raised. Another jet had appeared, taking the woman with it, before is disappeared just as quickly as it had come. I came up behind Duke, relieved to see that he was alright and that he had the case back in hand. I could smell his fear and confusion as he aimed his pistol at the newcomers who had helped fight off the woman and her men.

"Stand down!" he shouted. "Stand the hell down!"

A large black man took a slight step forward. "Lower your weapon, sir," he replied. "We're not the enemy."

When the man came closer to Duke, I made my move. I stalked from the trees with an angry snarl, blood staining my paws and muzzle as I came into the light. Duke didn't turn his eyes away from the people in front of him, but I could smell his fear intensifying. Guns were leveled at me, and I yowled a challenge, fangs bared as I stood protectively in front of Duke.

"Call off . . . . whatever that thing is," the man said, a large gun aimed at my head. I hissed, flexing my claws in warning.

"Pointing weapons at either of us doesn't make us your friends," Duke replied. He seemed to be a little more calm, especially when he realized that I was guarding him, not attacking.

A small man came forward, crouching partially as he held out a hand for the case in Duke's hand. I swung my head towards him with a snarl, taking a step towards him. He tried to ignore me, having eyes only for the case.

"Please, hand over the case, sir," he said, his French accent thickening slightly as his gaze flickered between me and the case.

Duke took a step back, leaving me to cover him. "I don't know who you are, and I sure as hell don't know who they are, and until I find out, I'm not lowering anything or handing anything over," he replied. I mentally smirked when I smelt Ripcord coming, the sound of a bullet being loaded into the chamber being the only warning of his presence.

"What's your unit?" Ripcord demanded; I guess he hadn't seen me yet.

"Classified," a red-headed woman said. I tried not to look at her; she looked too much like Jean, and that set off a whole new set of stresses in my head. I whipped my head towards the black clad figure when I saw him move, growling threateningly. He seemed to watch me for a few seconds before returning a star-shaped weapon back to his belt. I snarled softly in satisfaction, my stump of a tail giving an agitated flick as I looked over the other group. There were four of them, three of us. They should have brought more men.

The Frenchman tried to some closer, something in his hands. I yowled a challenge, and he jumped backwards, eyes wide as he took in my massive form. "Merde," he murmured, looking towards the large man holding a very big gun. "Heavy Duty, could you-?"

The big man shook his head. "Hell no, man," he said. "I ain't messin' with that thing. Can you please call it off, sir?"

Duke's gaze flickered to me, and I could have sworn that he smirked. "It's not mine," he said. "You can try calling it off. Ripcord?"

"Not mine," the black man replied, similarly smirking. "You can deal with it."

The black clad man took a slight step forward, withdrawing a katana from a sheath on his back. I yowled, lowering my head and baring my fangs in warning; no one was going to hurt my friends.

' _Try it,'_ I dared him, keeping my thoughts only to him. ' _Touch them, and I'll rip your throat out.'_

I couldn't see the ninja's face, but I could sense his shock. I hissed before looking over at the other three, my one blue eye and one black eye shining with anger and protectiveness.

"Soooo . . . . " the Frenchman started, shifting his gaze from me to the others. "Now what? Do we kill it?"

"No," the red-haired woman replied, eyes never leaving me. "Maybe the General knows something about this."

"Know something about an extinct creature that also happens to be standing right in front of us?" the Frenchman asked before shrugging and crouching on the ground, setting something onto it. "Ok, you da boss. He would probably like to talk to these two as well."

I watched the Frenchman warily as he pressed a button on the object, jumping with a hiss when a man popped up from the ground! I snarled, crouched and ready to lunge should this newcomer prove to be a threat.

"State your name and rank," the man said, ignoring me.

"You first," Duke snapped back.

"My team just saved your life," the man drawled, looking down his nose at Duke. I growled in distain. "Now's the part where you say 'thank you'."

"Those aren't the words that come to mind just now. We weren't told about any support for this mission, so you better tell your team to stand down," Duke replied firmly. I mentally cheered, snorting at the projection and flicking my tail. I heard Ripcord shift behind me, probably aiming his gun.

"Happy to turn this into a turkey shoot," the black man added casually, despite his own injuries.

I watched as the projection flickered, and something was handed to the man. "You must be . . . Ripcord. Expert marksman, weapons specialist, jet qualified," he said, reading from the file.

"Told ya," Ripcord interrupted, aiming the quip at Duke. I could practically feel Duke rolling his eyes before they snapped back to the projection.

"I'm General Clayton Abernathy. You may have heard of me, Duke," he continued. I was a little surprised when Duke nodded.

"General Hawk," he responded. "NATO forward command . . . "

As Duke talks, the Frenchman steps forward with some kind of machine, scanning it over the case Duke still held. I turned on a dime, swiping at the man with a howl of fury. The man stumbled back in shock and fear to avoid my claws, turning his gaze from me to the General.

"Uh, sir . . . "

"Stand down, Spirit," General Hawk said, turning his eyes onto me.

I was too startled to do anything at first. How in the Moon Goddess's name did he know who I was? He must have seen the look on my face, even in feline form, because he smirked.

"Your friend, Logan, gave us some information on you when we found him on a . . . hiking trip. He figured you might get into some trouble, so decided to inform us a little bit about you should we meet," he continued. "Would you be kind enough to shift so that we could talk human-to-human?"

I pinned my ears back flat with a hiss, baring my fangs. I turned to see Duke and Ripcord both staring at me in shock, and I lowered my head guiltily.

"Spirit?" Duke asked, looking at me closely. He must have gotten a good look at my eyes because he suddenly paled, nearly dropping the case in his hands. "Can someone please explain to me as to how the hell my dog is a sabertooth tiger right now?"

General Hawk chuckled. "She'll have to answer that for herself, son," he replied. "Now, hand over the weapons case, and let us deliver the warheads."

"No way," Duke spat. I could tell that he was exhausted and a bit in shock from all the events of the day. "I signed for 'em. My mission, my package. I carry them, I deliver them." I growled in agreement, stubby tail whipping angrily behind me. I could feel Duke's wary gaze on me, but I ignored him for the time being; I knew I was going to have a lot of explaining to do later. But for now, I was still concentrating on my main job of keeping Duke and Ripcord safe.

I did turn my head, however, when I heard beeping coming from behind me. I snarled at the Frenchman as he did something to the case before the beeping stopped. He raised his hands innocently, taking a slight step back.

"I was only deactivating its tracking beacon, for security," he explained. "Wasn't hard, was it?"

I glared at him, and he quailed slightly, though he seemed to know that I had my hands - excuse me, paws - tied at that moment.

"Fine," Duke suddenly said. "But you seem a little short on transportation at the moment."

"Team Alpha will deliver you to me," General Hawk replied easily.

Duke looked suspiciously at the General, as did I. "And where exactly are you, General?" he questioned.

General Hawk smiled before responding. "Come see for yourself."

()()()()()()

 **Hope that's a good way to end the chapter, and I hope that you guys are more satisfied with the length! Ok, so let's see if we can't get up to at least five reviews this time around. Pretty pretty please?! They made my day, and I'm not acting for a paragraph; just a few simple words as to whether or not you enjoy the story is enough. (: Thanks guys, you're awesome, and I hope you have a great week!**

 **ML out**


	4. Revelation

**Six reviews, peeps! That's what I'm talking about! They made my day, so I'll try to get two chapters up this week if I have the chance as my way of saying thank you. Super thanks to all of those who reviewed!**

 **Aria DeLoncray: Another long chapter up! Whoop whoop! Small chapters annoy me, but sometimes it's the best way to end them. (; Hope you enjoy the reveal!**

 **Sunchaser: I'm glad you enjoyed it, and thanks!**

 **Hassingthecoolone: I'll admit, I laughed out loud when I saw your review; my roommate was a little confused, that's for sure. I hope you enjoy the new chapter! (:**

 **HextheDaydreamer: Pssh, you know Spirit; she has no idea what subtly is. Lol! I have a feeling you'll like this chapter for that very reason. (;**

 **blackrosewitch1996: The big reveal is here! Hope that I managed to live up to your expectations for it. (; Hehe!**

 **Thanatos77: Sorry I couldn't exactly get it to be fast, but I hope the length and the humor make up for it!**

()()()()()()

I sat in the back with Duke and Ripcord, laying on my stomach with my head between my paws. I'd shifted back to my German Shepherd form after we'd gotten onto the aircraft, doing it as quickly as I could before the others could see; it wasn't exactly pretty to watch and I didn't want to freak out my friends too much.

Duke tolerated my presence for now, though he watched me like I was some kind of alien. I pinned my ears back when I felt his eyes on me, turning my attention back onto Ripcord, who was being treated by the red-haired woman. I felt a pang of longing in my gut; she reminded me so much of Jean. Another, more primal, pang hit me, and my muzzle contorted as I snarled to myself, pushing Phoenix back down into the depths of my belly; as if I didn't have enough problems as it was.

"Hey, you're cute," Ripcord murmured, eyeing the redhead. I mentally chuckled, watching as the redhead seemed to roll her eyes.

"He's going into shock," she said to the ninja on the other side of him.

"What's your name, darlin'?" Ripcord pressed, leaning a little closer to her before biting back a yelp when the black clad man jabbed him with a needle.

The redhead held back a laugh. "I thought all Special Ops guys were tough," she said, her voice sugary sweet.

"We are tough," Ripcord complained. "But also sensitive." His head leaned back against the seat as the drugs did their work. "Who, that's some mucho primo stuff you gave me." I watch as his eyes turn a little glassy, and he looks over at the other large black man, who was currently staring at Ripcord. He reached up and touched the other man's hair. "And a kung-fu grip."

I barked a laugh, startling those around me. I shrugged, putting my head back down between my paws.

"The name's Heavy Duty," the man said, removing Ripcord's hand from his head.

"What kind of outfit is this?" Duke suddenly asked, locking gazed with everyone on board. However, he did avoid looking at me, and I whined softly. "Not regular Army based on the accents. I have you as an Aussie." He nodded towards the redhead. "And you're a Johannesburger. And you: French North Africa. Algiers?" These last two he aimed towards Heavy Duty and the Frenchman.

"Tunisia," the Frenchman replied. "Where were you born?"

"Are you kidding me?" Ripcord interrupted, high on the drugs now. "Duke wasn't born, he was Government-issued!"

Duke rolled his eyes before continuing. "But somehow you're all in the same unit. One you can't tell me the name right?"

"We'd get tossed for telling," the redhead explained.

Ripcord interrupted again, grinning like a madman. "Duke, Duke, don't you get it!" he exclaimed. "They're super secret, they're Mission Impossible! This tape's gonna self-destruct in five —"

"You're gonna go after them aren't you? The ones that hit my convoy?" Duke asked, ignoring his friend. No one answered as he looked from one person to the next. He took a deep breath before speaking again. "Then whoever you are, whatever this unit is, I want in."

I rose to a sitting position, giving a growl of agreement. I wanted revenge on those who'd dared try to hurt my friends.

"Not our call," the Frenchman responded, giving me a wary glance; I seemed to be getting a lot of those lately.

"I want in, too," Ripcord added, attempting to sit up. "That way, we can spend some bunker time together."

I startled when the black clad man brought his sword out close to Ripcord's face. I barely hesitated, getting to my feet and starting to bark a warning.

"Down, Spirit!" Duke snapped, apparently not in the mood. I whined softly, but did as I was told, sitting back down and glaring hatefully at the ninja. Duke watched me angrily, and my ears pinned back flat against my head as I slid down onto my belly, burying my nose in my paws.

"You three a team or something?" the redhead woman asked after a few seconds, trying to diffuse the situation.

"We've been together forever," Ripcord replied before Duke could. He gave a cheesy grin. "But not like that. Spirit joined us about six months ago. I'm Ripcord, by the way."

"Why do they call you that?" she asked curiously.

In response, the Frenchman begins to laugh. "Because his name is Wallace Weems!"

I rolled my eyes, giving a heavy sigh and yawning before doing what every good soldier did: I got what sleep I could for the remainder of the flight.

()()()()()()

I woke up when I felt the aircraft beginning to drop. I yawned, getting slowly to my feet and stretching before bracing myself as we landed. I shook myself out, looking up towards Duke. He still didn't look at me, but he did as least tap his leg for me to follow after him, which I did willingly.

As we stepped out of the aircraft, my senses were assaulted with an array of scents, sounds, and sights. I didn't sense any threats, however, though I was still wary and kept close to Duke and Ripcord. I let the black man lean against me, still getting over the drugs that he'd been given.

"Welcome to the new Pit."

I turned my bicolored gaze onto the General as he approached from the shadows, not surprised when he didn't even flinch.

"Duke," General Hawk greeted.

"General," Duke replied.

The General smiled slightly. "I've read a lot about you three," he said, looking at us.

"Okay, look, I didn't _steal_ that Blackhawk, I was borrowing it . . . " Ripcord started before falling silent at a glare from Duke.

General Hawk ignored him, only having eyes for Duke. "Matter of fact," he continued, "I saw that one of my subordinates tried to recruit you to our littler operation a while back." His gaze turned to me. "And I've been trying to track you and yours down for years now, though you're the last person I expected to see with these two."

I growled, hackles bristling. Duke instinctively reached down to rest a hand on my head, tugging on one of my ears. Realizing what he was doing, he stopped and dropped his hand back down to his side, and my heart plummeted in my chest.

"What do you want with, Spirit?" he finally asked. "What is she? Or it?"

I took a slight step back, hurt by Duke's words. My ears pinned back tightly against my skull as I looked from Duke to Ripcord and back again.

"Spirit's a mutant," General Hawk said, turning his gaze to me, everyone else following suit. "I take it you remember that whole fiasco almost a year ago in San Fransisco at the research lab?"

Everyone nodded.

"Spirit here was apart of the group that helped . . . diffuse the situation," General Hawk continued. "Though, even I am intrigued as to where you were that night. I didn't see you mentioned anywhere within the files; you're a mystery."

I snarled, taking another step back; I didn't like where the conversation was going. I bumped into something, and found that I was being blocked by the ninja, probably his way of getting payback for earlier. I felt a cold burning in my chest, and I shook my head fiercely to try and quell it. Phoenix continued to try pushing forward, sensing my distress and anger. I gnashed my teeth, making those around me back up warily. The cold burning slowly faded, though it took far longer than what it used to. I turned my angry gaze onto General Hawk with a deep growl.

' _If you value your life and the lives of your men, you won't inquire about what happened,'_ I told Hawk, keeping my thoughts for him and him alone. The General took a slight startled step back; he hadn't expected me to talk to him.

"Well, well," he said, obviously impressed. "You're full of talents, aren't you? Please, may I talk to you in person?"

I started to shake my head, but I knew that I was already fighting a lost battle. Reluctantly, I took a step forward, rearing up onto my hind legs to make the transition easier.

' _I'm sorry,'_ I voiced to both Duke and Ripcord before closing my eyes so I wouldn't have to see their faces.

I thought of my human form, and my limbs immediately started to burn. I yelped, though forced myself to stay on my hind legs as fur became smooth skin, claws into fingernails, fangs into flat teeth. Bones contorted under my skin, muscles audibly tearing and melding back together. As my vocal cords changed into those of a human, I let loose a cry, shaking and falling onto my hands and knees as I finished the shift.

"Damn," I panted, using the next few moments to catch my breath. "That hurt."

"I'd imagine so."

I turned my eyes to gaze up at General Hawk, black and blue eyes glaring at him in hatred. Slowly, I got to my feet, stumbling as I got used to being back up on two feet. Nearly all commotion had stopped at the sound of my cry, all eyes on my form as I gazed around, a few dropping in embarrassment.

"Happy?" I finally asked, turning to look at the group standing around me. All of them lowered their gazes from my human body. I held my hands out to the sides. "Nothing for me to hide." My dog tags swung easily around my neck, glinting with the X-Men emblem.

Ripcord, being Ripcord, looked me up and down. "Damn," he said with a low whistle, at which point Duke slapped him and both averted their gazes.

"I'll be happier when you're clothed," General Hawk said flatly. I only smirked, not feeling any discomfort at being completely naked in front of the other humans.

"You asked," I replied smartly. "You wanted to talk. So talk."

"I was under the impression that you shifted with clothes on," Hawk said, clearly a little embarrassed now.

I barked a laugh. "I do," I replied. "When I actually have clothes to shift into. I did not bring anything with me when I joined; what was the point if I was not to shift?"

General Hawk turned, looking for something to cover me with. I only chuckled.

"I do not fear nakedness, General," I said smoothly. "As so many humans do. Now please, what did you wish to discuss? Or did you merely wish just to see me shift?"

General Hawk gave a slight cough, ignoring both of my questions as he finally managed to find a discarded jacket. "Here," he said, handing it to me. To please him, I put it on, though didn't bother buttoning up the front; Logan told me once that the best way to take someone off guard was to make them as uncomfortable as possible. I'd like to think that he'd be very proud of me.

"Well?" I pressed.

"We'll discuss it later," General Hawk replied after clearing his throat a few more times. I chuckled darkly, allowing a bit of my wolf side to show through.

"As you wish," I said, flashing fangs and allowing white to streak my long, dark auburn hair before it vanished as quickly as it had come. "This is going to be fun."

()()()()()()

 **This was definitely a very fun chapter to write, as was the one after this. Hope you guys enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Reviews are always welcome! Have a wonderful week, you guys! Happy Monday!**

 **ML out**


	5. Scars

**As promised, here's my second chapter of the week! (: Hope you guys had an awesome week, and I hope that you enjoy this next chapter of Spirit's Life! Happy Friday!**

 **HextheDaydreamer: Hehe! I figured that you'd like this chapter, what with Spirit having no sense of modesty whatsoever. (;**

()()()()()()

I followed behind the others as we made our way towards the main control system. I didn't bother covering myself as we walked, attracting all sorts of attention.

A couple of times, Ripcord poked my shoulder, as though making sure that I was real and not some kind of hologram. I finally whipped around to grab his wrist as he went to poke me again. "Please don't," I told him wearily. "I feel odd enough without having you poking at me."

"It's just so weird," Ripcord said, looking me up and down again. "I mean, you've been with us for six months, and we never knew that you were a shapeshifter!"

"But you knew something was different," I replied, to which Ripcord nodded.

"True," he said in turn. "Though why didn't you ever say anything?"

I gave a sad chuckle, nodding my head in Duke's direction. "That's why," I said glumly. "Duke has yet to look at me or talk to me since what happened to the convoy."

Ripcord rested a hand on my shoulder. "He'll come around," he promised. "He's been hurt in the past, and I think he just doesn't want to be hurt again."

"I've been hurt, too," I argued. "That doesn't mean I'm ignoring everyone."

"I can see that," Ripcord said gently. When I frowned, he quickly explained. "Your scars."

I frowned again and looked down at myself, unsure as to what scars he was referring to; being a self-healer, I didn't get scars. I gaped at myself when I look down before groaning.

"Phoenix," I hissed under my breath. When Phoenix had taken over, my healing abilities had practically disappeared. It was because of that that the other X-Men had been able to kill me when I'd gone rabid shortly afterwards. Killing me must have restarted my abilities because I was able to heal again, albeit at a slower rate. However, I hadn't shifted into my human form almost at all since then and, when I did, I'd had my skintight black suit on, which I'd left with the X-Men.

My body now showed practically all of the scars I'd collected over the past year or so, ones that should have been completely hidden. Not only were there scars from battle lacing across my shoulders, stomach, and legs, but the surgical scars I'd gained during my time as a test subject years ago. My vision tunneled, and I swayed as I broke out into a cold sweat.

"No no no no," I murmured to myself, looking down at horror at the physical proof of my nightmares. Ripcord was instantly there, gripping my shoulders.

"Spirit?" he asked lowly into my ear. I shook my head, squeezing my eyes tight. Ripcord tightened his grip on my shoulders, murmuring to me softly. "It's ok, Sprite. No one here's going to hurt you. Promise."

"You can't promise something like that," I whispered in return, still trembling, but I'd calmed down a little, probably because he had inadvertently called me by Logan's pet name for me. I had to grit my teeth for a few seconds as Phoenix tried to rise up again, and I forced her back down with a vengeful snarl.

"Ripcord? Everything alright?"

I looked up to see Duke and the others looking at us, the former with a worried expression on his face.

"I think so," Ripcord replied, looking at me. "I think she's just had a shock, that's all."

General Hawk watched me with narrowed eyes, and I quelled my stress long enough to glare back at him. "Snake Eyes," he suddenly said. "Can you take Spirit out?"

"I'm fine," I snarled, my hair streaking with white.

"We're going into a meeting with a very rich man," the General said slowly, as though I didn't know English. "I very much doubt he wants to see a naked woman."

I glowered at him for a few more moments, but conceded to his point. "Very well," I said, my accent thick as stress layered my words. "You hurt either of my charges, and I'll singlehandedly take down this whole place." I grinned, though it didn't reach my eyes.

General Hawk must have seen the seriousness in my eyes, for he nodded. "You have my word," he replied before motioning behind me. "There should be a bed open in the barracks."

I scented the ninja behind me before I saw him, turning on my heel to face him. I laughed softly. "Snake Eyes, huh?" I guessed. When he gave a short nod, I laughed again. "Figures. Though, I doubt you're actually faster than a _real_ snake." I gave a feral grin. "After all, I've been a snake."

The ninja ignored me, motioning for me to follow after him. I rolled my bicolored eyes, though I followed after him, but not before I looked over my shoulder to see Duke and Ripcord.

"Call me if you need anything," I told them with a small, shy smile. "I'll come running."

"We will," Ripcord promised, though Duke remained silent. My smile faded and I ducked my head slightly as I followed after the ninja.

()()()()()()

I took everything in as we walked through the hallways towards the barracks. The soldiers out and about gave me curious glances, especially the males. I only had to flash them a feral grin and they quickly averted their gazes. Once they looked away, I'd start chuckling, much to the ninja's irritation. He whipped his head around to stare at me a few times; I honestly think he was glaring at me, but I couldn't tell with the visor over his eyes.

"You know," I said after he'd glared at me for the sixth time or so. "This would be a more pleasant walk if you actually had a conversation with me. Or do you have qualms about talking to a stranger?" Again with the glare. I stuck my tongue out at him in turn.

"I was only trying to make conversation," I grumbled, turning my head to look at a big area of water. "Not like there's anything else to do." I started to slow as I watched the soldiers underwater zip through some kind of obstacle course with a metal machine. It actually looked fun. I let loose a yelp as I ran into the ninja's back when he suddenly stopped in front of me, backpedaling. "What was that for?"

The ninja turned to face me, putting a finger to where I guess his lips were. I raised an eyebrow and crossed my arms across my chest, but did as he signed. He nodded in satisfaction and then pointed to the water. I frowned, chewing on my lip.

"Look buddy," I finally said. "I have a hard time understanding regular English, so what makes you think I know what you want me to do?"

Again, Snake Eyes pointed at the water. I sighed, rolling my eyes as I went to the water's edge. "I don't know what you want," I said, looking at the water with exaggerated gestures.

I didn't realize my mistake until I felt the ninja's hand on my upper back. With a squeal, I twisted around to grab for him, but he'd already pulled away. I landed in the water with a heavy splash, cursing in my native tongue before my head went under water. Without really thinking about it, I moved my head towards the surface, shaking out of the jacket General Hawk had given me. I splashed, trying to float, but failing. I could see the ninja standing just by the edge, watching me, and my rage spiked. I allowed myself to sink, thinking through the aquatic animals that I had. Finding one, I gave a slight grin as my skin turned as rough as sandpaper. My bones turned rubbery, lengthening, and my legs melded together into a sharp fin. My teeth grew sharp and in rows while my arms formed into sharp fins. Oxygen rushed through me as I formed gills just by the side of my head, and I sank deeper into the water to give myself some momentum. My eyesight wasn't as good as it was while I was human, but it still cut through the water better. I burst from the water, jaws wide as I grabbed the ninja before he could react; he hadn't expected an attack from a Great White shark. He instinctively pounded his fists against my sensitive nose and eyes, though I stubbornly held on; he couldn't have known that I kept my more human instincts even in the body of what many people assumed to be a mindless beast.

I used my fins to push myself back into the water, dragging the flailing ninja with me. I didn't break skin, just keeping a firm enough of a grip to drag him under. He pounded his fists against my nose, and I finally released him when his fist hit my eye and nose simultaneously, shaking my head in pain. Something came flying towards me, hitting my side. I thrashed, swimming off as I scented blood in the water. I only had to turn slightly to see that it was me who was bleeding, Snake Eyes having hit me with one of his throwing stars. Other creatures came up to investigate, and I quickly discouraged them with a sweep of my jaws. The bleeding didn't stop, mostly because the star was still stuck in my side. I swum closer to the surface, throwing myself back up onto land, shifting into my human form as soon as my rough belly touched the concrete. I moaned, shivering with the cold and pain from my shift. I twisted my hand around to grab the throwing star in my ribs, pulling it out and throwing the bloodied thing to the ground. I waited for the wound to heal, a slow process, before I got carefully to my feet, wrapping my arms around myself. I looked around for the ninja, goosebumps covering my naked flesh. It wasn't until I found a towel being thrown over me, that I found him.

I turned to glare at him, feeling like a sodden cat with my hair plastered to my head. "What was that for?" I snapped, watching as he went to pick up his bloodied throwing star. He looked at it and then back at me, motioning for me to move the towel. I rolled my eyes. "I'm fine, no thanks to you."

The ninja didn't take no for an answer, coming over to me and pulling the towel to the side to look at my ribs where the throwing star had embedded itself. He seemed to startle, drawing back ever so slightly, when he saw only the thin white scar that remained.

"Like I said, I'm fine," I said coolly, tightening the towel around myself to keep me warm. "Now, any other test you'd like to run, or did you just want to see how I'd react to being thrown into water?"

Snake Eyes only shrugged, motioning for me to follow him. I glared at his back, childishly sticking my tongue out at him, as I'd seen so many other humans do. He started to turn, and I pulled my tongue back into my mouth, tightening the towel around my naked body once more. Realization hit me like a bullet, and I rolled my eyes at myself.

"I'm stupid," I murmured, tossing the towel to the side. Snake Eyes seemed to panic a little, coming back towards me with quick strides. I gave a devious grin before falling to my hands and knees, hair turning white and my jaw pushing outwards into a muzzle. The ninja backed off, looking a little more horrified now as my bones shifted under my skin, audibly cracking and tearing. I clenched my jaw against the pain of the shift, white fur running down my skin. The shift took longer than it usually did, probably because I hadn't shifted in almost half a year. When it was finished, I waited for a second to catch my breath before looking up at Snake Eyes with a slight wag of my tail.

 _'Much better,'_ I said, shaking water from my fur as my tail curled up over my back in a stance of dominance. I could tell that Snake Eyes wasn't at all comfortable around me, and I relished the feeling. ' _So, you were supposed to be taking me somewhere?'_

()()()()()()

 **Reviews are very much welcome; they make my day! Hope you enjoyed this latest chapter of Spirit's Life, and I can't wait to hear your thoughts about it! Again, hope you guys had a great week and an even better weekend!**

 **ML out**


	6. Training and a Burrito

**Nothing much to really say except for hope you enjoy the chapter! Happy belated Monday! (;**

 **PS: check out HextheDaydreamer's new GI Joe fanfic _Casualties._ It's absolutely amazing! You won't ****regret it.**

 **PPS: Lookie! It's a long chapter! Hehe!**

 **Hassingthecoolone: Your review made my day, as it always does. (; My roommate looks at me weird as I squeal with delight every time I see your reviews in my mailbox. So, thanks for everything. (:**

 **Sunchaser (Guest): I'm glad you're enjoying it! I appreciate the support. (:**

 **Aria DeLoncray: Thanks! Hope that you enjoy these next few chapters. (;**

 **HextheDayDreamer: I thought that it would be a good little twist, especially since Spirit does try to keep her past hidden, so the fact that she can no longer do that shows just how human she can be sometimes. And just wait until the next chapter. Mwahahaha!**

()()()()()()

Snake Eyes finally got around to taking me to the barracks, pointing towards one of the empty beds. I trotted past him, tail still high in the air. I jumped up onto the bed, turning a few times before plopping down with a heavy sigh, resting my head on my paws.

 _"Thank you,"_ I said, yawning widely and licking my muzzle. I watched the ninja, waiting for him to go, yet he just kept staring. I growled, ears going back slightly in annoyance. ' _What do you want, ninja?'_

Of course, he didn't answer, but I could feel his gaze burning holes in my eye sockets. I snorted, shaking my head as I realized what he was doing.

' _It doesn't work like that,'_ I told him, my mental tone flat. ' _It's one way communication; I can send my thoughts, but I can't hear the thoughts of others. Part of my programing, I guess.'_ I snorted again, licking at my paws to clean them.

When I looked up, Snake Eyes had moved closer, standing right in front of me. I yelped in surprise, jolting to my feet and nearly falling off the bed. ' _What the hell?'_ I snarled, nipping at the ninja's fingers.

He didn't move, not even when my teeth nicked his hand. Instead, he grabbed my muzzle, keeping a tight hold even when I shook my head to dislodge him. Memories began to surface, and I growled, remembering multiple times when I'd had a muzzle on. When I'd been retrained. I started to panic when the ninja didn't move his hand, twisting and turning like an alligator, clawing at his hands. He still didn't let go. I looked at him with panicked eyes, but all I could see was my terrified expression in his visor. Shifting had completely left my mind, terror numbing my limbs. A familiar coldness wrapped around my heart, and a fresh wave of panic washed over me.

' _Let go!'_ I screamed, throwing all my anguish and fear at the ninja. He finally moved back, releasing my jaw. I had to fight to keep Phoenix down, slowly regaining control of myself. Once I was back in control, I shot an angry look at Snake Eyes. ' _If you know what's good for you, you'll never do that again.'_

The ninja watched me as I regained control of myself, my bristling fur slowly relaxing back against my body. I took a few deep breaths, settling my breathing and my heart rate, before looking at Snake Eyes once more.

' _Never do that again,'_ I repeated. ' _Bad things will happen if you do, and I don't want to hurt anyone.'_

Slowly, the ninja gave a nod of his head, turning and walking out of the barracks. I watched him go, sitting back down on the bed and grooming my fur to try soothing my frazzled nerves. I couldn't let Phoenix out, not now, not ever. Doing so could kill us all.

()()()()()()

I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I knew, someone was shaking me awake. I growled softly, pulling my tail up over my face.

' _Five more minutes, Logan,'_ I murmured, tightening myself into a tight white ball.

"Who's Logan?"

I yelped in surprise, jerking awake and instinctively backpedaling. I forgot that I was on a bed, however, and my hind legs fell off the edge, the rest of my body quickly following them to the floor with a loud thud. I groaned, standing up and stretching my stiff muscles before jumping back up onto the bed, glaring at Ripcord as he laughed.

"You should . . . have seen . . . your face!" he wheezed, nearly doubled over in laughter. Duke was standing just behind him, fighting to hide a smile.

' _You know that it's not polite to wake a sleeping wolf,'_ I grumbled, ears flicking back. Both men flinched slightly at my voice in their heads, and I gave a slight wag of my tail. ' _What? How else did you think I communicated when not in my human form?'_

"I don't really know, to be honest," Ripcord admitted. "Definitely not through telepathy."

' _Don't worry, I can't hear your thoughts,'_ I told them, seeing Duke's perturbed expression. ' _I can only transmit mine.'_

"Good to know," Duke said flatly, turning. "Come on, General Hawk wants to see us."

I rolled my eyes, not really looking forward to seeing him again, especially since it meant that the ninja would be nearby. I stretched once more before reluctantly getting off the bed, taking long strides to help loosen up my tight muscles. All the shifting that I'd done yesterday had left my joints aching, and even a self-healer like myself had limits. I yawned before giving myself one last shake, padding after the duo. Ripcord kept giving me weird looks, and I finally glared up at him.

 _'What?'_ I asked.

"Nothing," Ripcord quickly responded. At my gaze, he gave a sheepish grin. "I just never realized how _big_ wolves were." He motioned to how my head was just above his waist, my shoulders coming to his hips. "I always saw them as dogs."

At that, I growled, ears flicking back. ' _I am not a dog,'_ I said fiercely.

Ripcord raised his hands peacefully. "I never said you were," he said. "I was just making an observation."

I didn't bother pushing the issue, just rolling my eyes and giving a heavy huff. ' _Whatever,'_ I murmured.

We continued to walk until we reached a room filled with metal suits. I couldn't help but muse about how much Magento would have loved being in here. My tail wagged slightly at the thought before I got myself under control, instinctively coming next to Duke and sitting down next to him. He gave me a wary look, sidestepping slightly so that there was space between us. I tried not to react, though I'm sure my ears went back slightly. I caught Ripcord glaring at Duke from the corner of my eye, and I'm sure he would have said something, but the large man from earlier, Heavy Duty, came into the room. He nodded a greeting before taking one of the suits out.

"If you want to join us, you'll need to be mission ready, Joe style This is the Mark One Accelerator Suit," he said, not bothering with pleasantries. I frowned, barely understanding a word that he had just said; my english wasn't that far advanced to know what it meant. For all I knew, he was speaking Spanish.

"What's it accelerate?" Ripcord asked, looking curiously at the suit.

"You," Heavy Duty replied. "It'll make you run faster, jump higher, and hit harder than any of your enemies."

I couldn't help it: I laughed. It was a rough, coughing sound, but a laugh all the same. All three men turned to look at me, obviously not getting the joke. ' _Sorry,'_ I said, still laughing. ' _But I could eat that if I so desired; it's a . . . tin can.'_ It took me a second to think of the word that I'd heard others use, and I hoped that it was the right one.

Heavy Duty glared at me, and I wagged my tail in response. "These have head-to-toe turbo-hydraulics and highly-pressurized pneumatics. They also have an advanced cybernetics heads-up display, feeding into the helmet. _And_ Two gas propelled grappling spears and six ten millimeter, hi-explosive, heat seeking, fire-and-forget rockers. _And_ a nine millimeter, caseless, submachine gun with six hundred rounds capable of firing all of them in thirty seconds," he told me proudly as Duke and Ripcord both got into the suits; I guess they were in a rush.

I just looked at Heavy Duty blankly. ' _You do know I don't speak English very well, yes?'_ I asked, giving him an are-you-on-crack look that I'd learned from Logan.

"I don't blame you, Sprite," Ripcord said, moving around to get used to the suit. "I just missed everything he said." He looked over at Duke with his crap-eating grin. "How do I look? Pretty cool, huh?"

I sighed, rolling my eyes. _'I think I'll just stick to this form,'_ I said. Plus, I wasn't about to get into a can that could crush me in a second if Magento was nearby; I wasn't suicidal.

Heavy Duty shrugged, though he seemed disappointed; he was probably very proud of his speech about the suits. "Alright," he said, motioning towards Duke and Ripcord. "You better get going to the target range. Scarlet will be expecting you."

' _I'll meet you guys over there,'_ I said, shaking out my fur before padding out the door before anyone could respond. I trotted easily down the hallway, ignoring the looks I got from the passing soldiers. I used what little I'd memorized of the compound to make my way towards the main area before pausing, ears twitching. When I heard the sounds of guns going off and shouts of anger and encouragement, I gave a mental smile, starting towards it. Within moments, I was at the target range, weaving between the shooting soldiers. I tilted my head up slightly to find Scarlet's scent, moving deeper into the fray. It still startled me to see Scarlet's red hair, to see how much she looked like Jean. My gut twisted anxiously, and I growled at myself for showing such emotion for a dead woman. I was just going to have to accept the fact that Jean was in the eternal hunting grounds; there was nothing I could do about it.

' _Scarlet,'_ I greeted, coming to sit next to her. The redhead jumped, obviously not expecting my presence.

"Hey," she said. "Spirit, right?"

I nodded. ' _Correct,'_ I said. ' _I'm sorry for startling you.'_

Scarlet gave a wave of her hand in dismissal. "No, it's fine," she said, looking past me for a few moments before her gaze returned to me.

' _Duke and Ripcord will be here shortly,'_ I explained. ' _They were trying out the suits with Heavy Duty.'_

 _"_ Got it," Scarlet said with a nod. She crouched slightly so that she could look me in the face. "May I?" She motioned to the dog tags around my neck, and I hesitated before nodding. She picked up the tags with gentle fingers, examining them. "I still can't believe that you were one of the X-Men. I remember hearing about it in passing, but I never thought that we could encounter any of them."

' _I wasn't either,'_ I replied. ' _I didn't exactly want to be found out. I just needed to get away for awhile. Fighting helps get my head on straight.'_

Scarlet gave a small smile, letting the tags drop back against my chest. "I know the feeling," she said, motioning to the shooting range. "Do you shoot at all?"

I growled, rapidly shaking my head. ' _No,'_ I said. ' _I do not like guns.'_

 _"_ Then how do you hit targets from far away?" Scarlet asked, confused. "Or avoid outright conflict?"

I gave a wolfish grin, tongue lolling from my mouth. ' _Simple,'_ I replied. ' _But I can't exactly share all my secrets now, can I?'_

Scarlet chuckled, standing up. "No, I guess not," she said before her features hardened slightly as she turned to look over my shoulder again. I twisted my head around to see Duke and Ripcord coming towards us, bantering with each other. My ears flicked back slightly when Duke's good mood fell away once he saw me, and Ripcord bumped him with his shoulder as he came towards Scarlet with a wide grin.

"Red!" he exclaimed. "Talking to our neighborhood wolf, are you?"

Scarlet raised an eyebrow, and I wagged my tail. "How about you boys get your weapons and we can time you on the course?"

"Yes m'am!" Ripcord said with a salute before heading off to the gun rack with Duke to get their weapons. I scoffed and rolled my eyes, remaining where I was.

"Aren't you going to join them, Spirit?"

I rolled my eyes again, this time for a different reason. ' _I don't do guns,'_ I told Hawk, turning my head to face him with my eyes narrowed.

"I figured," General Hawk replied. "But you can still do the course if you'd like."

' _Maybe,'_ I said impassively. ' _But I make no promises. I still don't see why you'd want me on your team.'_

Hawk shrugged, hands clasped behind his back. "It's up to you," he said. "As for why I want you on my team, you're an asset. You'd be able to go where my people can't."

' _I'm not a soldier,'_ I said firmly. ' _I never wanted to be. This life was chosen for me, and I hate it. I'll do what I have to to protect my pack, but I will not fight for a meaningless cause. Wolves fight for territory and to protect those they love. Humans fight because they get scared and don't see any other option. Did you know that a wolf will kill as a last resort? Usually they fight with minor injuries, just enough to show who's boss. You humans think that by killing everything in sight, that makes you boss. To me, it makes you cowards.'_

General Hawk only nodded after my rant, showing no sign of emotion, but I could sense that his pride had been hurt. He kept his eyes on Duke and Ripcord as they made their way through the course, shooting hologram projections of people. "I'm sorry you feel that way," he finally said. "I hope that we'll be able to change your mind."

I only shrugged, not in the mood to argue with the general. I turned my head when I heard a buzzer go off, watching as Scarlet walked over towards Duke and Ripcord with some kind of clipboard.

"Sixty-three seconds. Not Bad. But not good enough. Gotta get under a minute to qualify," she told them.

"What's the record?" Duke immediately asked. I smiled to myself, knowing how competitive Duke could get.

"Forty-five," Scarlet replied, still looking down at her clipboard.

"Don't tell me," Ripcord said. "Snake Eyes?"

Scarlet shook her head, looking up. "No," she answered. "Me."

Ripcord frowned, looking at the weapon that hung at Scarlet's waist. "You can do this whole course with that thing in forty-five seconds?" he asked, obviously not believing her.

"If you're going to shoot at something, kill it," Scarlet said firmly. "Otherwise, take up knitting."

Ripcord gave a flirtatious grin and took a step closer to Scarlet, and I groaned to myself, shaking my head. "When I want something, I don't just shoot at it. When I get a target in my sights, I take it down."

Scarlet locks gazes with Ripcord, and I feel a little bit of pride towards the smaller female. She reaches down to grab her gun with purpose, slapping a magazine into it and handing it towards the black man.

"Here," she said, her voice holding a challenge. "Go on. Try it."

' _You may not want to do that, Rip,'_ I warned him, though I secretly wanted him to; sometimes his flirtatious nature could be turned down a few notches.

Ripcord rubbed at his nose with his middle finger, though I just wondered what he was doing; he had plenty of other fingers to rub his nose with. "I wouldn't want to show you up," he finally said to Scarlet.

Scarlet rolled her eyes before replying. "Oh, that's so thoughtful of you," she said, her voice as sweet as honey.

"What can I tell you?" Ripcord said smoothly. "I guess I'm just a considerate, humble guy. You'll learn that about me."

' _I still haven't learned that,'_ I quipped, wagging my tail when Ripcord turned his annoyed gaze onto me, making a rapid cutting motion across his throat with his hand before he turned back to look at Scarlet.

"I'm the "target in your sights", right? You've got ten rounds to "take me down"," Scarlet said, all business.

Ripcord seemed a little hesitant now. "I don't want to hurt you," he said.

' _Baby,'_ I teased, at which point the black man looked over at me.

"Will you shut up?!" he demanded before once again looking back at Scarlet.

"They're training arrows," Scarlet said as though our exchange hadn't happened. "The most I'll feel is a little jolt."

I flicked my ears slightly, sensing the lie, but figuring that she knew what she was doing. I gave a heavy sigh, sitting down and lifting one paw up to lick at it while Scarlet turned to face Ripcord, backing up to create a little bit of space between them. Ripcord looked over at Duke, who was smirking and obviously loving the whole thing. I lower my paw to the ground as I watch Ripcord try, and fail, to shoot at Scarlet. She moved like a jaguar, darting from one side to the next to avoid the arrows.

"C'mon, Rip," Duke called, laughter in his voice.

I chuckled at Ripcord's look of pure concentration; he really wanted to shoot Scarlet. However, the redhead was much faster than he was, ducking and weaving to avoid the arrows. She moves closer to Ripcord, almost like she's taunting him. When Ripcord pulled the trigger for the last time, point blank, Scarlet grabbed the arrow in her hand, simultaneously slamming her body against his as her free hand grabs behind his head.

"Guess you didn't really want me that bad, Rip," she said smoothly, holding his gaze for a few moments before letting him go. She turned on her heel and started to walk away, throwing the arrow behind her. I jumped when the arrow exploded as it hit the ground, snarling softly; I knew Scarlet had been lying when she'd said that the bolts were training arrows.

Breaker walked by with a burrito in hand, munching happily on it. The scent of the thing made my stomach growl, reminding me that I hadn't eaten yet. I licked my lips, getting up and slinking silently behind him. The Frenchman chuckled when he saw Scarlet walking away from the two awestruck men.

"Aww," he teased. "Ripcord's heart just skipped a beast. Isn't that sweet?"

As he talked, I came up behind the Frenchmen, stalking him. I knew that both Duke and Ripcord could see me, but they didn't say anything, hiding smirks. I paused, checking my weight, before lunging forward, but not for the burrito. Instead, my fangs nipped the other man's backside, causing him to jump and shout in surprise, his grip loosening on the burrito. As it started for the ground, I darted forward and grabbed it before running away.

"Hey mutt!" Breaker shouted, starting to give chase. "Give that back!"

I could have easily outpaced him, but I kept just within range so that he would think he'd caught up before I'd move ahead again. I think he picked up that it was a game, and he laughed as he chased me around the compound. Periodically, I'd slip around a corner to eat some of the burrito before I'd hurry away, giving Breaker only a glimpse of me as I went around another corner. It didn't take long for only a small section of burrito to remain, and I had a feeling that I'd lost Breaker through the maze of hallways, coming back to the main Pit area. I paused, looking around for the Frenchman, before shrugging my shoulders. I'd just tossed my head back to swallow the rest of the burrito when something slammed into me. I yelped in surprise, flailing, before realizing that it was only Breaker; he'd ambushed me. I growled playfully, wrestling for the rest of the burrito as he held onto the top part of my muzzle, trying to loosen my grip.

"Come on, mutt!" he exclaimed, trying to pry my steel jaws apart. "Give me back my dinner!"

I growled again, shaking my head until the soft tortilla broke apart, sending both of us tumbling away from each other. I was quick to swallow what was left, licking my jaws. The soldiers walking past us laughed, taking in the look on Breaker's face as he looked sadly at the remains of his burrito.

"You owe me a burrito, dog breath," he grumbled, but I could see that he was only joking. I yipped, prancing in place and wagging my tail. He shook his head with a sigh, standing up and ruffling the fur on my head as he passed. "I guess I better get back to work. You should go find your friends; they'll be sparring Snake Eyes right about now."

I yipped again, giving Breaker's hand a lick before turning and galloping down the hallway.

()()()()()()

 **Depending on how many reviews I get for this chapter, I'll see if I can't get another one up tomorrow! Hope you guys are still enjoying the story; I had to add that last bit in because I was hungry and really craving a burrito. Hope you guys enjoyed the lighter tone because it won't stay that way for long; I think everyone's too used to Spirit's luck to know that that just never happens. Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter and hope to see some reviews! ;)**

 **ML out**


	7. Venom

**Thanks for the reviews guys! They made my day! I will apologize that this is a shorter chapter, but once you read it, you'll see why. (;**

 **Hassingthecoolone: I know what you mean - I miss being able to get out and just relax; college isn't a very good place for that. And I try to update frequently because I hate leaving people in suspense for too long. (;**

 **Sunchaser (Guest): Well, she definitely gets mad at someone. I don't know too much about the dragon part because her mutation is based on DNA; there wouldn't be dragon DNA within her unfortunately. However, she does still have a good few tricks up her paws. (;**

 **HextheDayDreamer: I feel like Spirit and Scarlet will have a close bond because Scarlet is so much like Jean, who was Spirit's role model after Logan. And I know! Come on, Duke, get your head out of your butt!**

()()()()()()

I was happy when I managed to find the training room without help, though I admit, I just listened for the same swearing and cursing that I'd heard Logan use when he fought in the simulator. I pranced into the room with my tail high in the air, still joyful after my bout with Breaker. A few men looked down at me warily, probably not all that comfortable around me, but others actually gave me a nod of greeting.

I nodded my head in response, coming up towards the front and sitting down, watching the match. It took me a second to realize that it was Duke fighting Snake Eyes, both armed with electric poles. I curled my lip, but I wasn't sure if it was towards the ninja or the pole. I didn't notice Ripcord until he grasped my scruff in one hand.

"Don't interfere, Sprite," he warned. "This is just for Duke and Snake right now."

I was about to tell him that I wasn't going to interfere, but he still had to hold me back when Duke fell to the ground with a shout when the electric pole struck him. I snarled towards the ninja, my anger almost palpable; how dare he hurt one of my packmates! The ninja looked towards me before turning his back on Duke, starting to walk off the mat. However, Duke got back to his feet, albeit a little winded.

"Again," he said. The ninja almost seemed to nod before coming over towards Duke again. I flinched as the poles crackled and popped with electricity. Duke span, attempting to use the same trick Snake Eyes had, but the ninja was faster, blocking the blow and sweeping Duke's feet out from under him. When he was hit with the pole again, I lunged against Ripcord's grip; the only way he was holding me back was by holding onto the dog tags around my neck. I roared in anger, jaws snapping.

"Spirit, stop," Duke commanded as he got to his feet for the second time. He looked over at Snake Eyes, eyes narrowing. "Again."

I could see that the ninja had gained some respect for Duke, but that didn't make me like him any more. Ripcord kept a grasp on my tags, not willing to let me go until the fight was done. Duke tried the same tactic, waiting until the ninja tried for the sweep before he jumped over it, coming behind Snake Eyes and nearly managing to strike him before his stroke was blocked. As Snake Eyes attempts to hit Duke, the latter man dropping his pole to tackle Snake Eyes instead. Sparks flew, and I lunged once more to try breaking free from Ripcord, but he had a good grip on my tags, better than I thought he would. However, I could tell that Snake Eyes still had the upper hand, and he got quickly to his feet. Instead of stabbing Duke with the electric pole, however, he offers his hand. Duke takes it, pulling himself up with a grin towards the ninja. I only growl, shaking Ripcord's grip from my neck. It was time to finish this.

The soldiers around me flinched and gave gasps of horror as I shifted into my human form, bicolored eyes dark. I wasn't sure if Phoenix was finally getting a little taste of freedom or something about the ninja just really bothered me, but I was ready for a fight either way. I felt no fear at being naked in front of the rest of the men, using it to give myself power.

"Alright, ninja, let's get this over with," I snarled before my hair turned black and flat. "I warned you once about harming my packmates. And I keep my promises." My limbs shrunk until I was on my knees as the blackness spread throughout my entire body. My belly turned a pale orange-cream, and the skin around my neck flared out. Flat teeth turned into sharp needlelike teeth with two larger fangs protruding from the roof of my mouth. My body began about 15 feet in length, forming the shape of a tube. I hissed, slithering onto the mat and raising my head out to flare my hood. Many of the soldiers fled from the form of the king cobra, but Snake Eyes remained where he was, watching me. I could sense his body heat as my tongue flicked outwards, tasting the air, as I got closer and closer to him.

"Spirit," Duke warned, but I ignored him, flaring out my hood as far as it would go. Venom dripped from my fangs onto the floor, and I sat back onto my muscular end half, my scales smooth and glistening.

Snake Eyes flicked his electric pole, the end crackling. I hissed violently, moving faster than the average snake despite my size. I twisted out of the way when he lunged for my head, striking for the hilt of the pole. My venom splattered against his hand, showing just how easily I could have bitten his hand. The ninja backed up a little, twirling the pole in his hand. I slithered forward, the whole length of my body twisted around the mat. Snake Eyes came towards me again, the pole coming for my exposed midsection. I easily moved that part of my body out of the way, biting for his exposed back. I realized too late that it was a trick. The ninja twisted the pole around faster than I thought, striking the end close to my head. I writhed as the electricity arched through my serpentine body, flailing uncontrollably on the ground. A coldness erupted from my gut, and I spat toxin onto the mat as my healing factor helped rid my body of the damages done from the electrocution. Snake Eyes rapidly backpedalled, not having expected me to recover as quickly as I did. I came after him with a vengeance, spitting venom towards his eyes, following the snake's instincts. I couldn't hear very well, but I could certainly feel the vibrations against the mat, especially when Snake Eyes lost his balance and tripped over my tail. I rushed in for the kill, venom filling my hollow fangs as I made to strike Snake Eyes, my gut full of ice. Even as I reared my head back and made to strike, something grabbed my tail, pulling me backwards. I hissed and twisted around with astounding speed, jaws still wide as I made to bite whoever had cost me my victory. However, as soon as I twisted around, something else grabbed me behind the head, a powerful hand that shut my jaws. I writhed and twisted angrily, whipping my tail against whoever was holding me.

"Looks like I did learn something from that snake wrangler," someone announced happily as he used his free arm to wrap my lengthy body around it, keeping a firm hold on my jaws. Furious, I shifted, scales turning into fur and my head becoming too big to hold.

"Holy shit!" I heard the same man exclaim, dropping me as I finished shifting into my wolf form. I snarled, daring someone to come near me.

"Spirit!"

My ears flicked slightly, and I whipped my angry gaze towards the one that had called my name. The air rippled around me from my growl, and I bared my fangs, ready to lunge. However, Duke's familiar scent touched my nose and I hesitated, my black lips coming down to cover my fangs, but my growl still vibrated through the air.

"Spirit, basta," Duke said, using the commands that I'd been taught when I'd worked with him as a bomb dog. He snapped his fingers next to his leg, and the fog from my head slowly began to fade, leaving me horrified at what I'd nearly done. I whined, head low and my tail tucked between my legs as I slunk over to Duke, coming at a heel next to his leg. Hesitantly, he reached down and tugged at my ear. "You alright?"

' _That's why I wasn't in San Fransisco,'_ I murmured softly. I transmitted my thoughts to Duke, Ripcord, and General Hawk, who I saw standing in the background.

"What?" Duke asked, obviously confused. I looked towards General Hawk, sadness in my eyes.

' _I wasn't in San Fransisco because my body was taken over by Phoenix. I was fighting for my sanity,'_ I said, standing up. ' _Some of Phoenix remained in me; that's why I left. The children were scared of me, and that's why I can't be on your team.'_

General Hawk only dipped his head respectfully to me as I turned and padded off towards the barracks, needing some time to myself.

()()()()()()

 **Like I said, it's not a very long chapter but hopefully the action makes up for it. (; Please review, as they give me the feedback I need to make _Spirit's Life_ better! Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter; it was definitely one of my favorites (those who have read my stories know that I love writing action scenes). **

**Happy Friday, peeps! Enjoy the weekend!**

 **ML out**


	8. Accepted

**Thanks for the reviews guys! They made my day! Again, this is another short chapter, but the next one will be longer and much more action filled, I promise.**

 **Hassingthecoolone: She's definitely going to have to find a way to deal, which is so different for her because she's used to being in control. We'll see how things work out. (;**

 **HextheDayDreamer: But of course! (; Spirit may be a shapeshifter, but she has to know what's better to fight with and what's not; she's a wolf, so she understands some strategy. Hehe!**

()()()()()()

I found myself by the barracks again, this time in the common room area; Snake Eyes must have taken me through the bikeway the last time I came through. I took note of the couch and jumped up onto it, curling up in the corner and resting my head on the armrest before closing my eyes.

It felt like only seconds before I opened my eyes again, having sensed someone coming into room. I yawned and looked over to see the rest of the Joes coming into the room, talking amongst themselves. I pinned my ears and started to get up, but Scarlet tugged one of my ears as she passed.

"Stay," she said, her gaze flickering behind me. I scented the ninja before I saw him, and my ears tightened even further against my skull. "Snake knows that you weren't in your right mind; he knows that you were just protecting Duke and Ripcord."

I whimpered softly, though I laid back down and curled myself up into a tight ball. I was a little startled when Snake Eyes sat down next to me, the others sitting around elsewhere. I turned my gaze towards the ninja, ears still back against my skull.

' _I'm sorry,'_ I said. ' _I lost my head.'_

The ninja shook his head, making some motions with his hand that I couldn't follow.

"He says that he's just as much at fault," Scarlet voiced, translating. "He knew that you didn't want your packets harmed, and he violated that."

I nodded slightly, looking towards Snake Eyes as I thumped my tail against the couch. ' _Bygones be bygones?'_ I asked. I could have sworn the ninja chuckled before he tugged my ear, and then he went about sharpening his sword without another sound.

()()()()()()

Duke and Ripcord came back about half an hour later, looking beat and worn. Heavy Duty had just turned on some kind of music, dancing to it. I was still on the couch with Snake Eyes, dozing, when my two friends came in.

"Well, well, look who's cozying up to the Snake now," Ripcord teased, ruffling my fur as he passed before plopping down on one of the other couches with a groan.

I mentally chuckled, raising my head to look at the two of them. ' _Well, you two look happy,'_ I said, amused by their bruises.

"They're trying to kill us," Ripcord said, his eyes closed and head leaning back against the couch.

I chuckled again, resting my head on the armrest while my ears flick to listen to the music. Heavy Duty must have seen the movement, for he said, "You can learn a whole hell of a lot about a girl by the way she dances. Tell me I'm wrong Snake Eyes."

Snake Eyes just continues to sharpen his sword, ignoring the larger man. I chuffed, ears flicking again; I wasn't any kind of dancer, especially not in human form. All that anyone would learn about me was that I wasn't human.

"See?" Heavy Duty says to the others as though he'd had a lengthy conversation with the mute ninja. "He agrees."

Scarlet rolls her eyes. "No, he doesn't. Do you?" The last part was directed towards the ninja, who actually looked up towards the redhead. "See, he knows you have to listen to get to know someone. Right, Rip?"

My shoulders shake in laughter, remembering their sparring bout from earlier. Ripcord innocently looks up from where he was storing his armor.

"What?" he asked. "You say something?"

Breaker, who was currently sitting at a chessboard with Heavy Duty across from him, gives a shrug of his shoulders. "Sorry, Scarlet, gotta go with Heavy D on this one. Like my man says, get a girl on the floor, you don't just see how she moves, you get the smell of her. What biologists tell us is that the decision is made by he nose long before the rest of the body gets involved. It's a question of pheromones. Just ask Spirit."

When I heard my name, I looked over at Breaker, tail thumping against the couch. Snake Eyes takes a quick break from sharpening his sword to run a hand down my back, and I growl happily.

"You're going to teach me science? I read all about the positron emission tomography studies

concerning sex pheromones when I was twelve. I'm just saying, it's not very romantic," Scarlet said, as which point I gave up listening; I didn't do well with large words like that.

I turn my head when I heard Ripcord whispering to Duke, though I couldn't make out what he was saying. Then Breaker was talking again, and my attention returned to him. "You can't learn this stuff in a book, Scarlet," he was saying. "You have to at least kiss a guy, before you're an expert on romance."

The guys laugh at that, causing Scarlet to blush. I growl softly and Scarlet, picking up on my mood, gives a smirk and raises her bow slightly.

"Who am I shooting first?" she asked.

' _I'll bite,'_ I offered, to which the redhead smiled towards me. I don't know which threat worked, but all the guys fell quiet, looking warily at both of us.

"You haven't kissed anyone?" Ripcord asked. I groan, placing a paw over my nose.

' _Please tell me you didn't just ask that,'_ I said, watching as Scarlet glares over at Ripcord, obviously furious.

"Really firing on all cylinders there, Rip," Duke said, shaking his head. I growled in agreement, uncoiling myself from the couch and dropping lightly to the floor.

' _I'm going to go explore,'_ I told Duke. ' _Just holler if you need me.'_

Duke nodded in response, looking over at Ripcord as he murmured, "Hell with it", and started over towards Scarlet. I just chuckled, turning and starting to walk out the door when General Hawk came in.

I started to go around him, but he held up a hand. "Stay Spirit," he said before flinching slightly when he realized what he'd just said. "Sorry. I meant that I have an announcement, and I'd like for you to listen in."

I growled softly, though I knew better than to try arguing. ' _Be quick,'_ I grumbled, turning and sitting next to the door instead. General Hawk watched me for a second before turning his attention to the Joes, who'd come to attention as soon as he'd come into the room.

"Duke," he started, looking towards the blonde soldier, "you scored in the top half-percent of all people we've ever tested. Rip, well, if we average your scores with Duke's, you pass, too. Welcome aboard, provisionally. But we still need to see if you pass muster in the field."

' _They'll pass muster,'_ I said firmly towards Hawk, narrowing my blue and black eyes at him.

General Hawk turned his gaze towards me, hands clasped behind his back. "As for you, Spirit, I'd like to again extend my offer for you to join us; I'm sure you'd be greatly appreciated and you'd be a valuable member of the team."

' _I am not a soldier,'_ I told him, letting my thoughts go to the others as well.

"No," Hawk admitted. "But you damn sure could be."

' _Maybe,'_ I replied. ' _For now, I will do as I always have; protecting my packmates.'_

"I understand," Hawk said with a respectful nod of his head. He turned his head to the others, nodding his head to them in turn before he turned and walked out.

Heavy Duty laughed. "Yo Joe! Welcome aboard, boys!" he shouted, turning to look at me with a wide grin. "And girl!"

I rolled my eyes, standing back up and padding outside to stretch my legs and explore.

()()()()()()

 **I know that this isn't a very long chapter, but you know what comes next if you've seen the movie. (; Please review, as they give me the feedback I need to make _Spirit's Life_ better! Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Happy Humpday!**

 **ML out**


	9. A New Shift

**Thanks for the reviews guys! As always, they make me smile. :D Here's a more action-packed (and longer!) chapter! Hope you guys enjoy it! Please review; they help me make _Spirit's Life_ better!**

 **Hassingthecoolone: I'm glad that I can create some feels! Hehe! She may not make friends easily, but she'll defend them until the end if she has to. (;**

 **HextheDayDreamer: Not my best chapter, I admit, but every movie I've watched always has a little quiet moment before chaos erupts! Hehe!**

()()()()()()

I walked for a couple of hours, just walking where my feet led me, claws clicking almost inaudibly against the floor. I barely let myself think, just looking at the hallways and trying to make a mental map in my head. If I thought that the X-Mansion was huge, then the Pit was a labyrinth. There was a grid pattern to it, and I tested this out by crisscrossing along the hallways until I came back to where I'd come from. Pleased with this finding, I started to head back to the common area where the rest of the Joes were; I was hoping that Ripcord was done embarrassing himself in front of the others, especially Scarlet.

I chuckled to myself at the thought before freezing, fur on my shoulders starting to bristle; something wasn't right. I stayed where I was, ears twitching as I fought to figure out what had set me on edge. It didn't take me long to realize what it was: I smelled blood. Immediately, I took off down the hallway, following my nose. I turned down a corner, forcing myself to slow down as blood splashed up onto my fur. I snarled, looking at the two dead guards in the hallway; someone or something was after my pack. I throw my head back, giving a loud, chilling howl that echoes throughout the hallways. I didn't know if the others knew that it was a warning, but I did know that Duke and Ripcord would; that's how I'd call them towards a target when we'd worked out in the field. I hoped that they remembered that now as my howl faded away. Then, the alarms start to blare.

I race down the hallway, ignoring the blood that splashes up on me as I hurry towards where I could hear fighting. Turning a corner, I see three of the same soldiers that had been there the night the Joes had found us. I snarl, leaping into the air and landing on the back of one, tearing at his helmet as he fell to the ground from the force of my tackle. He smelled wrong, like meat let out in the sun too long. I wrinkled my nose as I bit into his armor; however, my fangs barely made a dent in the armor. Realizing this, the soldier grabbed my scruff and threw me across the hallway. I yelped as I slammed against the wall before it turned into a growl. Ok, this guy had pissed me off. My growl got deeper, my white fur turning tawny and my fangs growing larger and sharper. I yowl, heaving my heavier body from the ground and charging the soldier again. He barely has time to raise his gun before I'm on him, powerful jaws piercing into his helmet this time. Blood sprays across my face as I release the dead man, turning and charging for another. As I'm dealing wit the second, the third manages to draw his gun and fire off a few shots. I howl in pain as the bullets find their mark in my chest, just missing my heart. The second soldier beneath me falls, me tumbling to the side as the force of the bullets knocks me off of him. I stagger to my feet, blood soaking my fur. I turn my gaze to glare at the soldier, feeling the familiar cold rage in my gut. My next yowl is piercing, causing the soldier to cover his ears and stagger back. I don't know where the force of that came from, but I didn't really care right then. I lunged for the downed soldier, tearing into his throat. I could feel the warmth of the blood splashing against my paws and face, the coppery scent nearly enveloping me. I felt the soldier's pulse fade in my mouth, and he fell limp. I released him, collapsing myself with a groan. Blood continued to trickle from the wounds in my chest; they were taking a while to heal.

"Spirit!"

I turn my head upon hearing my name, leaning against the wall. ' _Duke,'_ I said with a soft rumble. ' _Ripcord.'_

"Easy, Spirit," Duke said, coming to kneel next to me. He swears when he sees the bullet wounds in my chest, taking his hand and pressing them against the wounds. I snarl, fresh pain radiating from my chest. Duke flinched at the vicious noise, but he didn't move his hand. "Ripcord, get some bandages!"

I growl at him to stop, knowing that it would be a waste as I could already feel the bullets starting to push back the way they'd come. ' _I'm fine,'_ I tell them, attempting to get to my feet.

Duke's eyes widen slightly, and he rested a hand on my shoulder. "Spirit, you need to stay down," he said seriously, looking confused when I started to chuckle, a harsh rasping sound.

' _I'm fine,'_ I said again. ' _I've had much worse.'_

"Spirit, you have three bullet wounds in your chest. I wouldn't call that fi-" Duke broke off, an odd look on his face. He pulled his now bloodied hand from my chest, looking at the three bullets that laid neatly in his palm. I took that moment to get to my feet, the wounds sealing and leaving three scars in its place; I tried not to think about the scars, focusing more on Duke, who looked like he was about to pass out.

' _See?'_ I said, trying to assure him. ' _I'm fine.'_

"I can see that," Duke said, swallowing thickly before he allowed the bullets to drop to the ground. Even Ripcord was speechless for once. I shook myself out, still stiff but healing.

' _What happened?'_ I asked. ' _I found the guards, but I'm not the one who set off the alarm.'_

"That was Hawk," Duke said. "He set off the alarm after he was attacked. The warheads are missing, too; Ripcord and I just came back from checking the vault when we heard your yowling."

I nodded slightly. ' _What are we doing standing around here then?'_ I asked, my short tail giving an annoyed flick before I turned and started down the hallway towards the Pit area, where the sound of gunshots echoed.

()()()()()()

I ran around the corner and then immediately had to duck as a grenade went off, spraying fragments everywhere. I growled in annoyance, shaking my head against the deafening blast. I looked up just in time to see Heavy Duty go flying, knocked out cold. There was another ninja there, too, dressed in white and looking all kinds of mean. I snarled, hackles raising as my head lowered, massive fangs glinting in the light. He turned towards me, looking a little startled at the noise.

' _What?'_ I taunted, taking great joy in seeing him jump at the intrusion of his thoughts. ' _Never seen a sabertooth before?'_ When he didn't respond, I sighed and rolled my eyes. ' _Cat got your tongue, too? Are all ninjas this annoyingly silent?'_

The white ninja's eyes narrowed. "I am not mute," he growled, backing up. I would have taken him as a coward, but then I realized where he was going; he was heading for some kind of metal machines behind him, since the grenade had destroyed their other machines. I started towards him, but I heard footsteps. Seeing this as a more severe threat, I turned to face the dark haired woman I'd seen the night the Joes had found us. I snarled again, crouching down and getting ready to attack.

"Spirit, stop!" Duke shouted, coming up from behind me with Ripcord, both having their guns raised. I paused, not sure as to why I was being told to stop; she was the bad guy. "Put the case down, Ana."

Ana? Wait, Duke knew this woman? I snarled, to which the woman turned to smirk at me.

"Your kitty isn't too happy," she mused, to which I started towards her again, only stopping when Duke made a sharp motion with his hand for me to stay where I was. When Duke's gaze doesn't leave hers, she gives an annoyed sigh, setting down the warhead case. "Fine. done." Then, she does the last thing I expect; she starts walking towards Duke.

"Stop, Ana," Duke ordered. "Stop right there." I add a growl to backup his words, but she just continues to walk closer to Duke, even as he holds the gun at her head.

"You can't shoot me," she practically purred, "can you?"

"I will if I have to," Duke said firmly.

"Deep down, you're still the same man I fell in love with," Ana replied, making me startle a little. This woman was Duke's mate?! Why didn't I know about this?!

"Don't force this, Ana," Duke said, but even I knew that he wouldn't shoot her; it would be like me attacking Logan. I mentally flinched, remembering my possession by Phoenix when I actually had tried to attack Logan. I shook off those thoughts; I needed to focus on the present, not the past. That, and Duke was cocking his pistol as Ana got closer. "Don't make me do this god-dammit!"

"'Don't make me do this?'" Ana mocked. "A recurring theme in your life, right Duke?"

Duke's pistol was right at her forehead now. Even the ninja flinched, something that Duke took note of. "Move and I'll blow her away," he threatened before addressing me. "Spirit, get the briefcase."

I gave a short nod and stalked forward, eyes on both Ana and the white ninja as I went closer to the case. I grabbed the case in my jaws, gently picking it up and starting back the way I'd come. Just as I was passing Ana, I knew what she was going to do.

' _Duke, she's going to -'_ I started to say, but it was too late. Ana slapped Duke's pistol, sending off a shot that, of course, ricocheted right into my shoulder. I yowled in pain, dropping the case. I balanced on three legs, my shoulder shattered. ' _Really, Duke?'_

Duke doesn't bother responding, and my attention is diverted when I see the white ninja try to attack Ripcord. I yowl, lunging towards the ninja despite the agony is caused my shoulder. The yowl takes the white ninja off-guard, as does me slamming into him. He reacts faster than I anticipated, however, and his sword comes around to slice into my other shoulder. I howl in pain, stumbling back. The ninja raises his sword, about to plunge it into my chest, when Snake Eyes is suddenly there, blocking the strike. I struggle to my feet, the sword cut healing faster than the bullet wound. My fur is completely matted in blood at this point, most of it mine, but I ignore it. There are new soldiers in the Pit now, opening fire. I test out my shoulder, feeling the bone grinding as it moved back into place. Realizing that I wouldn't be able to put any weight on that foot for awhile, I knew that I was going to have to shift into something with two legs. My human form wouldn't cut it, that was for sure. Then, I remembered a creature that I'd seen before in a book. It was large and scaly and had some powerful hind legs . . .

Before I could doubt myself, I closed my eyes and braced myself. I should have braced harder. The pain hit me like a train, sending agony making me feel like dying; dying wouldn't have been as painful. My bones felt like they were made of molten lava, my muscles out of nails. I collapsed on the ground as my fur turned to scales, muscles growing and stretching, getting bigger and bigger. My yowl of pain turned into a earth-shaking roar, the rest of my fangs changing so that they were the same size of my enlarged incisors. I could feel my innards changing, shifting around from those of a mammal to those of a reptile. I staggered to my feet, my growl making the very air vibrate. I was a lot taller than I expected, at least 40 feet long and 13 feet tall at the hip. Thankfully, I still had room to move around, and I made good use of both my tail and head to smack the soldiers around like rag dolls. My thick hide helped resist some of the bullets shot my way, only a few actually piercing into my body. I roared, making the ground shake as I plowed forward, picking up one soldier in my jaws and shaking him until the I heard his back break while my tail sent another flying into a parked vehicle. My vision definitely wasn't the greatest, seeing only a blur, but I could still smell and hear, and I went after the rotten smelling bastards that had dared to harm my pack. They fled from my massive frame, not out of fear - they didn't reek of fear as I expected - but so that they wouldn't get crushed. I could hear the clanging of swords from above me, probably from the ninjas, but I didn't dare help in case I grabbed Snake Eyes instead of the white ninja that I would have loved digging my teeth into.

I suddenly heard what sounded like a jet starting, and I turned my muzzle towards it, snarling. A sharp instrument cuts into my muzzle, sending blood flying and practically leaving me helpless as all I could smell was my blood as it gushed from the gash. I roared out of frustration, only able to hear as the sound of gunfire and screams started to fade. I felt something brush by my leg and, without thinking, grab for it, hoisting it in my jaws.

"Spirit!" Ripcord yelped, wriggling in my jaws. "Spirit, put me down!" I rumble my apology, setting Ripcord back on the ground, still barely able to smell him. The cut on my nose may have healed, but my blood still stained around it. I shook my head in annoyance, immediately shifting into my wolf form before I hurt anyone else.

' _Sorry,'_ I said, exhausted from shifting into such a massive creature.

Ripcord shrugged. "Not everyday I get picked up by a T-rex," he said.

' _Is that what it was?'_ I asked before shaking my head. ' _Never mind. Did we get the case?'_

Ripcord shook his head, anger in his eyes. "No," he replied. "Ana and Storm Shadow got away with the case; Storm Shadow's probably the one that cut your nose."

I growled, fur bristling. ' _Is everyone alright?'_ I asked, looking over the carnage for familiar faces. I could see Snake Eyes sitting by himself, looking off into the distance; I knew that look. Without waiting for Ripcord to respond, I trot over to the ninja, still limping slightly on my tender shoulder. I can tell that he doesn't really know I'm there, and I whine softly before laying down next to him, resting my head on his knee. He jumps, not having expected me. I stayed where I was, and he rubbed one of my ears.

' _We can't win every battle,'_ I told him softly. ' _Sometimes we lose. But every time we get up, it just means that we can go into another battle.'_ Snake Eyes's hand freezes on my head before he looks down at me. I gave a mental chuckle, rolling my blue eye to look up at him. ' _I may not look it, but I'm very old, Snake. And I may not know much of the human tongue, so I'll do my best to try explaining. Don't dwell on the past; it holds you back. Focus on the future, and what you have to fight for.'_ I start to get to my feet, and Snake Eyes taps my shoulder. I flinch, still tender from where Duke had accidentally shot me, before I look over at the ninja. He tapped his own shoulder before motioning to one of the medics that was going around to the other soldiers. I growled softly, shaking my head.

' _Doctors and I don't get along very well,'_ I said. ' _I'll be fine; I'm just sore.'_ Snake Eyes watched me with a steady gaze, and I growled again, shaking my head. ' _Not going to happen, ninja man. I'm going to go check on the others; I'll see you around.'_ I lift my nose to scent the air, following Duke's scent; he was the one I was worried most about. Plus, I had a bone to pick with him about Ana.

()()()()()()

 **I hope that this chapter made up for the shorter chapters from earlier. (; Please review; they make me happy! Hehe!**

 **Happy Humpday, guys, and have a great rest of the week!**

 **ML out**


	10. Found

**Thanks for the reviews guys! As always, they make me smile. Please review; they help me make _Spirit's Life_ better!**

 **Hassingthecoolone: I'm not trying to make anyone cry! Not yet, at least. (; Thank you so much for your kind words; they definitely make me smile.**

 **HextheDayDreamer: Hehe! When you're tired and just don't give a crap, that's how I would react in Spirit's place. (;**

()()()()()()

I made my way through the crowded hallways, pausing frequently to help move rubble out of the way or to give comfort to a Joe that had been injured. I must have looked a mess myself, covered in blood and gore, but the Joes smiled when they saw me; they must have seen my performance as a T-rex in the Pit. I honestly didn't see what it was that I'd done, but if it made them happy, I wasn't going to complain.

When I realized that Duke was in the infirmary, I slowed, ears pinned. Doctors and nurses darted everywhere, causing me to shrink back into a corner. That familiar coldness swam in my gut, reminding me of its presence; it could destroy all the doctors. I growled to myself, pushing it down until it sat like a rock in my gut. Forcing myself to my feet, I stalked slowly through the antiseptic smelling halls, searching for Duke's scent underneath it. When I finally found it, I moved swiftly through the hallway, keeping against the wall so that I was out of the way and so that none of the doctors would notice that I was limping. Thankfully, I managed to make it to the room without any issues besides having to open the door. Remembering my old habit, I reared up onto my hind legs and grabbed the handle in my mouth, giving it a sharp twist and simultaneously pushing inwards against the door. I fell back down onto all fours, using my nose to help push the door open a little more as I slipped inside.

"Spirit," Duke said, surprised at my entrance. He frowned when he noticed my limp, which was instantly replaced by guilt. "Right. Sorry about that; I wasn't expecting Ana to do that."

 _'Yeah, about that . . . '_ I started, but then I took notice of someone bandaging Duke's shoulder and the figure of General Hawk on the bed, attached to all kinds of machines. I growled softly, backing up until I was in the corner again.

Duke made a hand motion to me, and I instinctively slid down until I was laying on my belly. "No one will hurt you, Spirit," he assured me, noting how I looked at the officer with distaste.

' _Tell that to the ones who did this to me,'_ I grumbled. I watched Duke's face, noting how his eyes got a little glassy. I gave a sharp bark, snapping him from his thoughts. He gave a faint smile, looking exhausted.

"That ought to hold you," the doctor said, nodding towards Duke and then to me. I warned him away with a growl, flashing fangs. Getting the message, the doctor just nodded and then left me alone with Duke and Hawk. I got up and slunk over to Duke, resting my head on his lap. He absently stroked my head, looking at the still form of Hawk. After a few moments, he stood up, looking over at Hawk.

"Graveyard dead," he says before walking out of the medical wing. Confused, I hurried after him, relieved to find that I wasn't limping as bad as I had been earlier.

' _Duke . . . '_ I started, looking up at him, having to trot to keep up.

"Not now, Spirit," he said firmly, eyes focused on what was in front of him. Knowing that I wasn't going to get an answer from him, I followed, moving deeper into the medical wing.

We joined up with the others a few minutes later, some kind of projection one of the dead soldiers that had attacked us visible. I came to sit down next to the others, curling my tail over my blood stained paws. Snake Eyes was just pointing to a small scar behind the soldier's ear, and I curled my lip in distaste.

"Nanomites," Scarlet said. "I wrote my thesis on the theory behind them at Oxford. They've been surgically implanted behind the ear, all programmed to accomplish different tasks."

And I zoned out. Scarlet gave me a sympathetic look before continuing; I didn't bother trying to pay attention.

"Theoretically, the possibilities are endless. Increase their speed, agility, resilience. You program, they perform. That's the genius of nanotechnology, it can do pretty much whatever you want it to," she said.

"Like mind control?" Duke asked. Now that I did respond do. I growled softly, lips peeled back into a snarl; I'd had enough mind control to last me a lifetime.

"I don't see why not," Scarlet responded, giving me a wary look.

"We need to get that case back," Duke said, turning on his heel and starting down the hallway. A little startled by his abrupt takeoff, I turned and followed after him, the others not far behind. We'd gone a little ways before Duke started talking again. "Their weaponry, financing, intel, it has to be McCullen. Doing an inside job on his own warheads."

' _It makes sense,'_ I said. _'How else would they have the brains to make the nanomites?'_

Duke looked at me weird, and I wagged my tail at him in response.

"You may be right," Scarlet interrupted. "Maybe he needed NATO to pay for his RD."

"The weapons case!"

Everyone turned to look at Ripcord, most of them looking at him like he was nuts. I just gave a slow wag of my tail, catching on to what he was saying.

"Remember he had us open the case for him. Remember that?" he asked, grinning at his discovery.

"What about it?" Scarlet questioned.

"I'll bet that code he gave us re-activated the tracking beacon or something."

I wag my tail a little faster, giving a toothy grin towards Ripcord. ' _Nice thinking, Rip,'_ I said.

"Thank you, Spirit," he said, reaching down to ruffle the fur on my head. I give myself a shake, conscious that I'd yet to clean myself of blood from the battle.

"And who says you're not a thinker," Duke teased. I barked a laugh before turning my head when I heard footsteps and heavy breathing.

' _Breaker,'_ I greeted. He waved his hand in response, looking at the others.

"I think I found her," he said.

()()()()()()

We stood in the control room, looking at a picture on the screen. I recognized the woman in the picture as Ana; the man next to her was a complete stranger. They were wearing fancy clothing, like they were at a party or something.

I turned my head to see Duke from the corner of my eye, watching how he gazed longingly at the woman. ' _I'm sorry,'_ I told him, keeping my thoughts to him only. He only nodded in response, his eyes never leaving the woman.

"Her name is Ana DeCobray now," Breaker said. "Baroness, if you're feeling formal."

"Wow, she traded up," Ripcord mused. Duke turns to look at him, and he quickly adds, "I mean . . . financially."

"Who is he?" Duke finally asked, though I could tell that Ripcord's comment had hurt him a little.

"Baron DeCobray. Big shot French scientist. Runs a lab in Paris," Breaker responded.

"Lab?" Scarlet asked, taking a step closer to the screen. I growled, ears going back at that word.

Breaker nodded, pulling up a visual of the lab with some weird machine. "Particle accelerator," he said.

I looked over to Scarlet when I felt her stiffen. "They're going to use him to weaponize the warheads," she said.

' _I take it that's not good,'_ I said, standing up. I sighed quietly to myself when Scarlet shook her head.

"That's where she's going," Duke voiced, turning and starting out the door

Heavy Duty chuckled. "Who likes croissants?" he asked, following after the others as we filed out the door.

' _What's a croissant?'_ I asked, starting after them.

()()()()()()

 **Happy Humpday, guys, and have a great rest of the week!**

 **ML out**


	11. Birdbrain

**Because I can, here's another chapter for the day. Mostly because I don't know when I'll be able to post again. Again, happy Humpday guys! Enjoy the day!**

()()()()()()

Almost an hour later, we were loaded into a jet - Ripcord called it a Howler - and on our way to Paris. Everyone was silent, looking straight ahead. Even I was quiet, laying down at Duke's feet. I'd finally gotten the time to groom myself, and my white fur gleamed in the overhead lights. I could tell that the others were thinking, either about the past or what was to come. Duke had closed his eyes, looking to be asleep, but I could hear his heartbeat; he was thinking about the past, I just knew it. Sure enough, a few minutes later, he jerked back into the present. I instinctively sat up, resting my head on his knee with a comforting whine. Duke looked down at me and rested his hand on my neck.

"Hey Spirit," he murmured softly.

' _The past hurts,'_ I voiced. ' _But we have to learn from it.'_

Duke's lips twitch slightly, and he moved his hand to my ear, tugging on it. "This is a different kind of hurt, Spirit," he said, still keeping his voice low.

' _Wanna talk about it?'_

Duke chuckled, starting to shake his head, but it soon turned into a heavy sigh. "I killed Ana's brother," he said.

I flicked my ears before rolling my blue eye to look up at him. ' _I doubt that,'_ I said.

"I sent him into that building," he replied. "They were too early." He absently touched a scar on his face, his eyes growing distant. I nipped his hand, bringing him back to the present.

' _Sometimes it's just someone's time,'_ I told him, licking my lips before giving a yawn. ' _Don't beat yourself up over this; fate is fate.'_

Duke didn't respond, but he gently stroked my neck as we made our way towards Paris.

()()()()()()

A few hours later, I'm pacing the length of the jet, looking out the windows and trying to get a taste of where we were. I'd never been outside of the states before, and it was interesting to see that it looked pretty much the same. I continued to pace, jumping up to look from one window to the next.

"Will you settle down?" Duke asked, looking as calm as a cucumber, but I knew that he was just as restless as I was; we'd both been in combat enough to know that sitting still wasn't an option. Duke, however, had a lot more practice than I did at being patient. I growled, but did as he asked, sitting down close to the cockpit.

Thankfully, we don't have to wait long before Heavy Duty and Breaker start to pack things up into what looks to be some kind of RV. I help them carry things into the interior, which is all technological and covered in wires. I step lightly over the wires, setting down equipment before heading back outside to get more stuff - there really wasn't a better word for it. At least it gave me something to do besides pace.

It took us about thirty minutes to load the RV, and by then, we were ready to land.

"Everyone in!" Breaker called, getting into the RV with Heavy Duty. He looked over at me as I came over, a sly look in his eyes. I gave him a wary look as I hopped into the vehicle with the others, sitting in the corner so that I was out of the way. I felt the jostling of the jet as we landed before the RV rolled out from the storage area. I stiffened my legs so that I wasn't tumbling around everywhere, watching as the others held onto handles to prevent falling. I was relieved when the road turned smooth, and I was able to unlock my legs. Once we hit solid ground and started towards the streets of Paris, the others started to get ready. Guns were loaded, vests put on, and Ripcord and Duke put on their accelerator suits. I stayed where I was so that I wasn't in the way, panting lightly as adrenaline flowed through my veins.

"Spirit," Breaker said, motioning for me. Remembering that look in his eye from earlier, I was wary to go towards him, but I didn't have anything else to do. Once I was close enough, he picked up some weird looking vest. "I take it you can shift into a bird?"

Still wary, I nod. ' _I have an owl, a raven, and a hawk,'_ I responded. Breaker grins.

"Perfect," he said, starting to make adjustments to the vest-harness. "Can you shift into the hawk, please?"

' _Why?'_ I asked, eyeing the contraption cautiously.

"I need a bird's eye view in the sky, preferably one I can communicate with," Breaker said. "You just happen to be the perfect subject."

I narrow my eyes at the term, but knew that I wouldn't really be able to do much else. I sigh, taking a step back before thinking of the red bird. White fur clumped together before changing to red, fur becoming feathers. My muzzle turned hard and yellow, curving downwards into a sharp point. My front legs turned thin and small while my back legs turned scaly. I could see Breaker flinch at the sound of cracking bones and tearing muscle; it didn't hurt as badly at the T-rex had because I'd used this shift before, albeit not in quite a while. As I shifted, I could hear Scarlet talking.

"Heavy D and Breaker will stay in the Brawler, watch our back. The rest of us will break into the lab with the accelerator suits. Once the warheads are weaponized, they'll be extremely volatile. We can't afford to let any of them go off inside the city," she said.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Ripcord look towards Snake Eyes. "What about you?" he asked. "Don't you get a suit?"

I cackled a laugh when Snake Eyes returned Ripcord's look with one of his own. ' _He doesn't need one, Rip,'_ I said, stretching my wings and clacking my beak.

Breaker pulled on a glove before holding it out to me. With a mental sigh, I climbed onto the glove, tightening my talons slightly to help me keep my balance. Breaker flinched a little when the tips pierced through the glove.

"Easy, mutt," he said, using his other hand to lay the vest over my back. "I still need that hand."

' _I can still poop on you, you know,'_ I retorted, stretching out my wings so that he could loop the straps underneath them to my stomach.

"Yeah, yeah," Breaker murmured, having to set me down so that he could use both hands to secure the vest. "There. How does that feel?"

I stretched out my wings, giving them a few flaps. The harness was awkward, but nothing I couldn't handle. ' _It's fine,'_ I said. Breaker nodded, taking another piece of equipment and looping it around my neck like a collar.

"I take it that your telepathy doesn't travel far, so this will allow me to communicate with you as to what's going on," he explained, tapping the microphone on the side before speaking into a different microphone by his mouth. "Can you hear me?" I flinch at the loud noise, and Breaker turns it down a few notches before repeating the message. I nod in response.

' _Loud and clear,'_ I answered, tightening my grip on the armrest I was on as we took a sharp turn.

"Good," Breaker said. "Now, the microphone is made of a flexible material, so you should be able to shift with it on if you need to; hopefully, that won't be necessary, but just in case."

' _Better safe than sorry,'_ I said, giving an annoyed clack when we made another sharp turn ' _Watch it, Heavy!'_

"Shut it, birdbrain," Heavy Duty murmured from the driver's seat before he raised his voice. "There it is."

I turned my sharp gaze to look out the window, taking in the huge house; it was almost the same size as the X-Mansion. As I admired the structure, I caught movement: a small group was booking it towards a small vehicle, and they were carrying a case.

' _I see them!'_ I exclaimed, flaring my wings. Breaker quickly held out his hand to me, and I hopped on as he opened the side door wide enough for me to get through.

"Good luck," he said before throwing his fist upwards to give me some momentum.

I scree in response, taking a second to orient myself in the air - as well as remember how to fly - before I was able to soar over the vehicle that held the Baroness and Storm Shadow, just as it demolished the guard shed. I could hear the camera on my chest zooming in, making a faint clicking sound.

" _I have a visual,"_ came Breaker's voice through the microphone around my neck.

I nodded, even though I knew that he couldn't see me. I kept over the car, watching as Snake Eyes and Scarlet leapt from the RV. I watch as Ana leans out the window of the car and starts to shoot at the RV with some kind of gun. Furious, I give a loud scree, diving as only a hawk could. I was a bullet of red as I streaked through the sky before I flung my talons out and tore at Ana's visible hand. She yelped in pain, dropping the gun. I shot back up into the sky to get out of firing range. As I get back into the sky, I saw that I was too late to help Scarlet, who's suit was damaged. She motioned for Ripcord and Duke to get moving, and they leap from the van. I can't help but cackle when I see Ripcord fall and then get hit by a car.

' _And Heavy Duty calls me the birdbrain,'_ I teased, sharp eyes able to make out Ripcord flashing me his middle finger before he took off running after Duke. I tilted my wings upward, moving higher so that I was closer to the air currents. I slipped into one, and it propelled me forward after the others.

()()()()()()

 **Have a great rest of the week! Carpe Diem!**

 **ML out**


	12. Left Behind

**Here's a nice little teaser for you guys; I'll post again on Wednesday if I'm able. Hope you guys have an amazing Thanksgiving, and eat lots of food and enjoy yourselves! You guys rock!**

 **Hassingthecoolone: If you thought that was suspenseful, try this one on for size. (; Hopefully I'll have the next one up by Wednesday if I get enough reviews. Thanks for the review; it made my day!**

 **Guest: Thank you so much for your review! It made my day, and you weren't at all being presumptuous. I love people giving me suggestions on where to go next with Spirit. Unfortunately, I haven't seen the Expendables, but I'll definitely see if I can find someone who has and see what I can do. (: Thanks again for your thoughtful words; they're what make writing worth it.**

 **HextheDaydreamer: Right?! It's about time that the two of them got along. And thanks!**

()()()()()()

It was frustrating to mostly only be able to watch; a bird can't do much. Breaker gave me constant updates, but that didn't help when I couldn't do anything. I watched as a bus was cleaved in two and as Duke and Ripcord raced after the car that held the warheads. It didn't help that they were running faster than I could fly, even using the air currents. At least I wasn't in danger of losing them; the carnage left in the wake of the car was enough that even my T-rex shift would have been able to see it.

When Snake Eyes landed on the roof of the car, I swooped down a little lower, beating my wings double time to keep up with the racing car. I wait until the windows roll down before doing the only thing I could; I dove into the car. The people inside scream as I tear into them with both beak and talons, blood flying. However, in such a cramped space, it didn't take long for someone to grab me and throw me back out the window. With my wings pinned, I wasn't able to get up into the air, and I tumbled to the ground instead in a blob of feathers and limbs. I felt a sickening _crunch_ in one of my wings as I fell, thankfully coming up against the sidewalk and not the middle of the street.

" _Spirit!"_ Breaker shouts, having seen the whole thing on camera. I can only give a moan, battered and bruised. I flip over to my feet, though I know I'm not flying anywhere; my right wing was completely shattered. " _Spirit, are you ok?"_

Since I was too far away to use my mindspeak, I could only clack my beak.

" _Listen, you need to get moving! They're getting away!"_

' _Easy for you to say,'_ I grumbled, though I knew that he couldn't hear me.

Realizing this himself, Breaker starts to talk again, " _Sorry. Do you have anything that you can shift into that can keep up with the van? Another dinosaur, perhaps?"_

I could hear Heavy Duty in the background saying, " _I doubt it."_

I, on the other hand, went through the animals that I had. I knew of the cheetah, but that could only go so fast for so far. Anything else wouldn't be able to keep up. However . . .

Knowing that I didn't have much of a choice, I thought of the one animal that could probably keep up with the van, and prayed to the Moon Goddess that I wouldn't kill myself trying.

()()()()()()

 **Contest for those who are willing! What do you think Spirit's going to shift into? Your hint: it's something that she hasn't shifted into before. Winner gets to pick a show (max of three episodes) or movie for Spirit to show up in. Read and review peeps! And, again, happy Thanksgiving!**

 **ML out**


	13. Causing Carnage

**So I wasn't exactly able to post last Wednesday, but here it is for this Humpday! Hehe! Thanks for those who participated in the contest! Winners are: Expendables guest and ! Please either review or PM me what movie/TV shows you would like for Spirit to appear in! Special thanks to those who reviewed; you guys are awesome and make my day!**

 **Happy Humpday!**

()()()()()()

I screed in pain as I started the shift, my whole body on fire. Feathers melted into scales, and I grew in size. There was a loud cracking sound as my bones reformed and the broken ones slid back into place. Heavy muscle took the place of the lean bird muscles, and my screes turned into loud screeches. I could vaguely hear the people around me starting to scream and start running in the opposite direction. As the burning pain started to recede, I struggled painfully to my feet, my joints aching in protest; I hadn't felt this bad since I changed into the sabertooth tiger for the first time. I was still on two feet, each tipped in wicked looking talons, one of which was held up into the air; I was quick to find that I could tap it against the ground, so it would make a good weapon. I took a few unsteady steps forward before I started to run after where I'd last seen the van go.

 _"Spirit!"_ Breaker called; I'd forgotten that the microphone would shift with me, as did the camera. _"Spirit, what did you change into?"_

Unable to reply, I gave a cry instead, wondering if Breaker would be able to tell what I was based on the sound. There was a few moments of silence before I heard Heavy Duty say, _"Holy shit."_

 _"I take it you know what she is?"_ Breaker said. I could almost see Heavy Duty nodding.

 _"If it is, then I was wrong about her not being able to shift into another dinosaur. That sound haunted my dreams after Jurassic Park,"_ Heavy Duty responded. Annoyed that I wasn't given an answer, I screeched again, picking up the pace. Whatever this creature was, it was fast. Powerful legs propelled me forward, and my eyesight was sharp enough that I could dodge around the cars; not that they stayed in my way for long.

" _Can she catch up to the van?"_ Breaker asked.

" _Probably,"_ Heavy Duty replied. " _The velociraptors in Jurassic Park seemed pretty damn fast."_

 _'Helpful,'_ I thought to myself, but at least I knew the name of what I was. I continued to follow the carnage left behind by the car and even by Ripcord and Duke, leaping over cars and weaving between fleeing people. I ran through a bar, where I guess Ripcord and Duke had smashed through; I had to move a little slower to avoid slipping on the spilled liquid, but at least my scales were thick enough that the glass didn't cut them. Just as I exit through the hole in the wall, I saw the car slam into Duke, pushing him towards traffic. I screed, scaring the bejesus out of Ripcord, before I charged after the vehicle just as Duke rolled over the hood and some kind of weapon popped up from the roof. I put on a burst of speed, jumping onto the side of the car and digging my talons in before tearing at the gun with my fangs.

"Spirit, jump!"

I don't even bother waiting to ask why I had to jump; I jumped. Just as I leapt from the car, two missiles hit the gun, sending me rolling from the blast. I growled, shaking my head before getting back to my feet, turning to look at Duke and Ripcord.

' _A little warning next time would be nice,'_ I said, flicking my tail.

"You're one to talk," Ripcord said. "Coming out of nowhere like some Jurassic Park movie."

' _What is this Jurassic Park everyone is talking about?'_ I asked, tapping a claw against the ground.

"I'll explain later," Duke interrupted. He looked over at Ripcord as he started to run again. "Scarlet says that they're going after the Eiffel Tower."

"Shit," Ripcord said, racing after him. I in turn followed after Ripcord, easily keeping pace with him.

I could hear gunshots from up ahead, and I scree. ' _Snake Eyes!'_ I said, rushing forward just as the driver suddenly looses control over the car and it lands on some train tracks. I watched as the black ninja fell against some trash cans, and I ran over to him, nosing him gently with a soft click. He gives my neck a pat to let me know that he's ok, and I kneel slightly to help him stand. He slings an arm around my thickly muscled neck, standing up. Once he got his bearings, he pointed to the carnage that Duke and Ripcord had left behind. I turned to face them, the camera on my chest capturing everything.

' _You two are more destructive than a rhino,'_ I scoffed, trotting over to them, Snake Eyes close behind.

"Reprimand us later!" Duke shouted, struggling to his feet. "C'mon! Spirit, take 'em!"

I turned to see what he was looking at, and I screeched towards the fleeing forms of Storm Shadow and Ana. Immediately following Duke's command - one that I'd learned as a bomb sniffing dog - I turned on my heel and took off after the duo, giving a piercing scree. I could see Ana flinch at the noise, but she kept running. As did many others. One look at me and they turned, running and screaming. Thankfully, I wasn't hungry, or they would have looked like prey, and that would have caused a whole other set of problems. Guards shouted at me as we raced for the huge tower of twisted metal - I guessed that this was the Eiffel Tower- and they pulled out their weapons. Annoyed, I snapped at them, using my tail to whip at their weapons. One of the guards' weapon went off, and a bullet lodged in my gut. I stumbled back, dark blood dripping to the ground. Cold fury swarmed up from my gut before I could stop it, filling me with the need for vengeance. I reared up to my full height, nearly as tall as the tallest guard, before giving a loud, piercing scree. The guards immediately clapped their hands over their ears, and I charged for the one that had shot me, ignoring the fiery burn of the wound. He put his hands up to protect himself, but I was a couple hundred pounds of pissed off, prehistoric reptile; nothing was stopping me. I slammed into the guard, sending him flying across the pavement and into one of the legs of the tower. I started towards him to finish him off, ignoring the other guards as they turned to start shooting at Duke and Ripcord as they ran up behind me.

"Spirit, no!" Duke shouted at me as I stalked closer to the guard, but I was past caring.

The guard moaned, starting to sit up, but falling back down when he saw me approaching. He fumbled for his gun, blanching when he saw that the wound in my stomach was already healing, the bullet pinging to the ground. I raised a foot, the lethal sickle claw aimed for his guts, when something slams into me from the side. I screech in outrage, fresh cold rage blossoming from my body. Dimly, I thought of how I needed to stop, but the piece of Phoenix that still resided in me thought differently. As I got to my feet, I hissed at Snake Eyes for ruining my kill. He stood in front of the guard, making a motion for him to put the gun away. Then, he started towards me. I snapped for him, but a small part of me didn't want to hurt the ninja; it was the guard who had hurt me. When the ninja kept towards me, I was confused. He should have been running from me. Why wasn't he running? I clicked my tongue, sickle claw tapping against the ground as I hesitated. Snake Eyes used that hesitation to his advantage, coming up to me and touching a spot on my throat, simultaneously pressing his thumb between my eyes. I started to snap at his hand, but found that I didn't want to move; I felt relaxed. The ninja kept his two fingers against my throat and my forehead before the rage finally subsided. Realizing that I'd been about to do, I backed up with a soft cry.

Snake Eyes made a sharp motion with his hand and, for once, I understood. He wanted me to stop blaming myself for everything and get back to work. Either that, or he was saying he wanted a sandwich. I was going to go with the former. I screeched in agreement, knowing that I had to help Duke and Ripcord. I could have sworn that Snake Eyes smiled under his mask.

' _Let's go kick some Baroness butt,'_ I said.

()()()()()()

 **Please read and review! Reviews give me motivation. (; Hope you guys enjoyed this latest chapter, and I can't wait to get some feedback. Thanks again, guys! You rock!**

 **ML out**


	14. London Bridge is Falling Down

**Merry Christmas, guys. (: To those of you who don't celebrate Christmas, happy Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, and any other holiday you may celebrate. Enjoy this time with family and love. (:**

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I raced for the tower, Snake Eyes at my side. As we got closer to the base of the tower, I nosed Snake Eyes, quickly telling him what do to. He nodded, and we both raced through the crowd, ignoring the chaos that was going on. Once we got closer to the base, I jumped and crouched, just as Snake Eyes jumped towards me. As soon as I felt his feet hit my back, I thrust myself upwards in a powerful buck, sending the ninja flying upwards. He grabbed onto the metal with one hand before pulling himself up and through the metalwork like a monkey. I watched him before turning to see that Duke and Ripcord were already running after the Baroness and the warheads. I knew that I'd only cause more chaos if I tried to follow, and if I shifted now to follow them, I probably wouldn't have the strength to shift again; shifting into the velociraptor had taken a lot out of me.

I turned my head when I heard car tires behind me, giving a relieved whistle when I saw Scarlet, Breaker, and Heavy Duty jump out from the RV with weapons. I trotted over to them, and they instinctively took a step back. I clicked, turning my head so that my blue eye showed, reminding them that I was still me.

As I walked towards them, guards came up, shouting and pointing their weapons at all of us. I went on the defensive, standing in front of them and giving a screech, crouching and ready to fight if necessary.

"Spirit, stand down!" Scarlet said before looking at the guard and speaking in a tongue I'd never heard before. I didn't bother trying to find out what she was saying; I already had a hard time understanding English.

More cars screech, and I turn my head to see flashing blue lights. I growl, taking a step back so that I'm closer to the others. Breaker runs a hand down my back, whether to give me comfort or just to see what a dinosaur felt like, I don't know. I hear a loud bang, and I look up to see something hit the Eiffel Tower. Green smoke explodes before pulling in on itself. Then, the metal starts to disappear.

' _Everyone move!'_ I screech, though I probably panicked the people more as some disembodied voice rang through their heads. At least they did what I said, running away from the tower.

I heard screams coming up from the tower, and I watched with horror as one mother lost her grip on her child, the little girl falling. I caught a flash of metal before Ripcord managed to grab the child. I give a sigh of relief before racing to the tower, needing to do something to help. However, being a velociraptor had it's disadvantages. Instead of fleeing from the tower, the people fled from me, even if it meant heading back to the tower. Getting frustrated at this, I finally just went around the people and started to herd them out of the tower instead; at least that way, I was getting them _out_ of the tower. As I was doing this, I heard the crying of a child. Even though I had never been a mother myself - and probably never would be - the cry tugged at my heart, and I instinctively turned around. There, standing by himself in the middle of the chaos, was a young boy who'd gotten separated from his mother. Reacting instinctively, I darted forward, grabbing the toddler's shirt in my jaws and carrying him out of danger before turning my head and setting him on my back. The toddler, wide-eyed and fascinated by the fact that he was riding a dinosaur, giggled in delight, though was smart enough to keep hold of my neck. I trotted easily from the tower, the toddler clinging to my back as I continued to herd people away from the collapsing structure.

Once I felt that we were far enough away from the chaos, I scented for the child's mother. It was hard, but the raptor's nose was incredibly sensitive. I followed the scent of the child that clung faintly to a woman sobbing and crying out a word over and over again; I took this to be the child's name. Sure enough, as I approached, the toddler squealed for his mother. She instantly looked up and she ran over, ignoring the fact that her child was sitting on the back of a creature that had been dead for millennia. She only took her child and held him close. For a moment, I was envious of that woman, but then I realized that I had bigger problems. The tower was falling, and I knew that if those nanomites hit the ground, it would spread into the rest of the city; even I could see that, despite my lack of knowledge on the subject.

' _Scarlet!'_ I exclaimed upon seeing the redhead. ' _It's going to fall!'_

"I know!" Scarlet shouted back, looking worriedly upwards. I followed her gaze, seeing a large jet hovering over the tower as two small figures leapt from the collapsing structure, landing on the jet. I snarled.

' _Ana and Storm Shadow,'_ I said, lashing my tail and digging my talons into the concrete. ' _They're getting away!'_

"Can you shift?" Scarlet asked me. I almost immediately shook my head.

' _I don't have anything fast enough in the air to stop them. Besides, shifting into this took a lot out of me,'_ I replied, frustrated. I looked back up at the jet to see a third figure jump through the door. ' _Duke.'_

Scarlet swore, looking towards the jet sagged when Duke grabbed onto the side door before hauling himself inside. I gave a screech of frustration, unable to do anything as my friend put his life on the line. I could only watch anxiously as the jet tilted and then the green from the nanomites suddenly cut off.

' _He did it!'_ I said happily before realizing that Duke was still inside the jet. ' _How do we get to Duke?'_

Scarlet shook her head. "We don't," she said before there was an ominous groaning sound. We both looked up to see the weakened tower sagging and then starting to fall. I turned and ran, dodging the falling debris with Scarlet and the others close behind. I see a piece of falling metal from the corner of my eye, and I rush forward to slam into Scarlet's back, knocking her out of the way. I fell as a result, and the piece of metal meant for Scarlet landed on my back. I gave a scream of pain when I felt something snap in my back, my lower half pinned under the partially melted metal.

"Spirit!" Scarlet cried, starting towards me, but I snarled to keep her back.

' _Go,'_ I said. ' _I'll be fine.'_ I knew I certainly didn't look fine, what with my spine twisted grotesquely to one side, the source of the snapping sound from earlier. When Scarlet didn't move, I snarled at her again. ' _Go! You're wasting time.'_

Scarlet, realizing that I was right, nodded and raced after the others; Breaker had probably thought of something to help find Duke. I laid my head down on the ground, unable to feel my lower half. I knew my back was broken, but I wasn't going to heal until the metal piece was off my back, and I wasn't strong enough to move it by myself.

It wasn't long before I heard footsteps, and I tried to raise my head, but a hand rested on my neck to keep me still. I snarled, rolling an eye before I recognized Snake Eyes. I gave another soft snarl, reluctantly resting my head back down on the ground. The ninja came around so that I could see him, withdrawing his sword and sliding it under the metal. Then, he pushed down on it, using it as a lever to help push it off of my back. I tried to claw myself forward, but my arms weren't nearly as strong as I would have liked them to be. So, Snake Eyes did what he could. As he levered the metal off of my broken back, he used his foot to help push my lower half out from under it. It couldn't have been easy, what with me being at least four hundred pounds of muscle, but we managed. With him pushing and heaving and me clawing, we finally managed to free my lower half from the wreckage. I laid my head back down on the ground, exhausted. Snake Eyes poked me, and I narrowed an eye at him.

' _What?'_ I asked tiredly. He made a bunch of motions with his hands before freezing, realizing that didn't have a clue as to what he was trying to tell me. He finally just pointed to me and then pointed to himself. Seeing my confused expression, his shoulders sagged slightly - probably in annoyance - before he rolled one of his sleeves back, revealing smooth human skin, and placing it against my scales.

' _You want me to shift into my human form?'_ I guessed. When he nodded, I narrowed my eyes slightly. ' _You do know I'll be naked right?'_

Apparently this thought hadn't occurred to him for he went still. A few seconds passed before he stood up and left. I watched him go, wondering what he was doing. As I waited, I felt the bones in my back beginning to shift and snap back into place, a slow but sure process. I heard footsteps and looked back up to see Snake Eyes returning with what looked to be a blanket in his hand. He threw it over my body before once again pointing to me and then to himself.

' _Yeah yeah, I got it,'_ I grumbled, closing my eyes and bracing myself for the shift. Fresh agony rippled down my body as I shifted, scales smoothing out into skin and heavy muscle diminishing. I moaned, my back giving a loud crack as the last few bones slid into place before it shortened as my tail disappeared to make what the humans called a tailbone; I didn't see as to why since humans didn't have tails. Thankfully the process only took a few minutes before I was back in my human form. I wrapped the blanket tightly around myself, hiding my scars from view. Snake Eyes waited until I'd finished shifting before picking me up from the ground, one hand supporting my tender back while the other went under my knees. I kept myself bundled up, feeling the colder air now that I didn't have the protection of fur or scales.

"So, what's our plan now?" I asked, head resting against Snake Eyes's chest. The ninja, of course, didn't answer, so I just closed my eyes and went to sleep.

()()()()()()

 **I hope that this had enough action for you guys. (: Thanks for all your kind words and encouraging messages. They mean a lot. Merry Christmas, and happy holidays.**

 **ML out**

 **(PS, I'm having some troubles with the dialogue for GI Joe: Retaliation. If any of you guys know how to either find the movie online (without signing up, buying, or downloading) or know where to find the screenplay, that would be great! Thanks lots!)**


	15. Ice

**Happy New Year, guys! I hope that everyone's had a great year so far, and I wish you guys nothing but the best. (: I know this is a shorter chapter, and I'm sorry for the wait, but hopefully it'll get you guys ready for the next chapter. (:**

()()()()()()

When I woke up, I was in a bed. I didn't take much notice of it, but I did take notice of the fact that I was dressed. I frowned, tugging at the military fatigues I was wearing; it was beyond weird.

I shook my head slightly, not wanting to worry about it for the time being. Instead, I got up and was surprised to feel the ground moving under me. A little uneasy, I padded barefoot down the hallway, seeing a window just up ahead. I trotted towards it and looked out before almost immediately backing up. Water filled the outside, and I could see fish and water plants passing by. I backed up rapidly, my back bumping into the wall.

Someone must have heard me get up because it didn't take long for Scarlet to come jogging down the hallway.

"It's ok, Spirit," she said, placing a hand on my shoulder. "We're fine."

"What is this?" I asked, looking around. "Why are we under the water?"

"It's called a submarine," she explained. "It's a machine that can go underwater. We're going to go get Duke from the Baroness and McCullen."

I nodded slightly, not really wanting to think about being underwater. Instead, I latched onto the fact that we were going after Duke. Scarlet gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze before starting back the way she'd come. I looked out the window once more before following after her. As we came into the main room, I noticed how the others were looking at a picture of . . . something.

"That's the polar ice cap," Scarlet explained; she'd probably seen my confused look.

"That's a lot of ice," I finally said after observing it in silence for a few moments.

The others chuckled before Ripcord spoke. "It's gonna be like trying to find whale spit in the ocean," he said.

I frowned. "Whales can spit?" I asked, causing another round of chuckles.

"It's just an expression, Spirit," Ripcord explained.

"That's strange," Breaker suddenly said, to which everyone turned to face him.

"What?" Scarlet asked.

"Well, when they stole the weapons case, I set my suit to scan for the tracker beacon in case it came back on, and it just came back on," he said, looking at some weird contraption. Ripcord chuckled, and I looked over my shoulder at him.

"That's my boy," he said in triumph. Realizing who he was talking about, I beamed.

"Then let's go raise some hell," I said, once again causing the others to laugh, Heavy Duty even clapping a massive hand on my shoulder.

"I couldn't have put it better myself," he said.

()()()()()()

"Picture's coming online now," Breaker said.

I yawned, having been dozing on the floor while Breaker had been working for the past hour on getting the location of where Duke was being held. I got to my feet, running a hand through my tangled auburn curls as I padded over to where the others were gathering around the screen.

"It's an underwater facility . . . " Scarlet said in awe, looking at the odd contraption.

Heavy Duty gave a short nod. "McCullen's home away from home," he mused.

"Duke's got to be in there somewhere," Ripcord said, his foot tapping against the ground. Having been around him for almost a year, I knew that that was Ripcord's way of trying to keep still while not quite managing it.

"Hold up," Scarlet said, leaning over to point at something on the screen. "What's that?" I stood on my tiptoes as Breaker zoomed in on some machine just under the underwater building.

"Oh, Jesus," Breaker breathed, eyes widening. "That's an automated, phased array turbo-pulse battery."

All of us - and not just me this time - looked at Breaker like he'd grown a second head. He gave a heavy sigh before saying, "A really big gun."

"Could it take out our sub?" Scarlet asked as I looked at the machine, a furrow forming between my brows.

"That thing could take out a dozen subs simultaneously," Breaker replied, Scarlet nodding in understanding.

"Then that's our first objective," Scarlet replied.

I felt more than saw Ripcord whip his head to look at Scarlet. "No, no," he said. "Duke's our first objective."

"And how are we supposed to rescue Duke if we don't have an escape route?" I asked, gaining a few looks in turn. I shrugged, folding my arms in front of my chest. "I know strategies, despite my background."

Scarlet gave a slow nod. "Spirit's right," she said. "The main force can't attack as long as that cannon's online."

"Then how do we get the stupid thing offline?" Ripcord asked, getting more agitated by the minute.

Snake Eyes pointed towards some cables in the monitor. I took a closer look at them, lips pursed. They looked to go towards the surface of the water, probably up on the ice. Meaning that there was probably a way to get in on the surface of the ice. Scarlet's voice pulled me from my thoughts, just in time for me to hear her say, "Shipwreck?"

Our pilot, or captain, or whatever he was called, looked over at the redhead. "Going up, señorita?" he asked, to which Scarlet nodded before she turned on her heel to walk down the corridor, motioning for us to follow her.

As we walked, she barked out orders, an Alpha in command of her pack. "Snake Eyes, Breaker, Ripcord, and I will infiltrate the factory from above and destroy the cannon. Heavy D, as soon as we give the word, you lead the assault from outside. Spirit, you can come with us to help with the cables and then come back to help Heavy."

I gave my best salute, much to the amusement of the others. "Ma'am, yes ma'am," I said, mimicking what I'd seen the others do. A small smile appeared on Scarlet's lips.

"Go, Joes," Heavy Duty said with a grim nod.

()()()()()()

 **Again, happy New Year! Live life to the fullest, and let nothing hold you back. (: Reviews are very much appreciated, and hopefully I'll be able to update again next week, especially if I get a lot of reviews. *cough cough hint hint* (;**

 **ML out**


	16. Machines

**I am so so so so sorry about the wait you guys! College life caught up to me.**

 **But I'm here now! Hehe! Hope you guys enjoy these next few chapters of Spirit's Life! (:**

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I look warily at the machines in front of us, crossing my arms in front of my chest.

"Do I have to get on it?" I asked for the fifth time. I could practically feel Scarlet rolling her eyes as she prepped one of the machines.

"Yes, Spirit," she replied. "You don't have anything fast enough to keep up in this cold weather. A polar bear, maybe, but they don't run very fast. Certainly not at the speeds we'll be going."

I groaned, glaring at the hunk of machinery. "I don't like machines," I replied, also for the fifth or sixth time.

"We know," Breaker grumbled, prepping the machine that would be taking both of us towards the underground facility. "You've said it multiple times already."

I growled at him, eyes flashing, but he made no acknowledgement to my gesture of violence. For the next few minutes, I watched as the other Joes got everything prepped; I didn't bother trying to help, as I knew I'd be more likely to screw something up than I would be to help. Before I knew it, it was time for us to go. Scarlet and Snake Eyes got onto one of the machines, while Ripcord and Breaker got onto the other. They all looked at me expectantly, and I scowled, but unfolded my arms and closed my eyes to shift.

The shrinking was new, especially since I couldn't remember ever shifting into something so small; I didn't think that I ever had the reason to until that day. My skin turned a smooth, sooty grey, a tail erupting from my backbone, long and pink. My bones compressed and squeezed themselves into a tiny body, same thing with my muscles. It definitely didn't hurt as much as shifting into something larger did, which was weird; I'd have to remember that next time. I reared up onto my squat hind legs, rubbing a paw over my face.

"Come on," Breaker complained, bending down so that he could pick me up. I twitched my nose, trotting over to Breaker's outstretched hand. As I came closer, however, he didn't bother picking me up around my body. Instead, he grabbed my tail with a look of revulsion. I squealed, squirming as I was lifted into the air.

' _That hurts!'_ I snapped in his thoughts. ' _Put me down or I'll bite you!'_ At that threat, Breaker did jump and let go of my tail. I would have hit the ground if Ripcord didn't have the reflexes of a cat, grabbing me before I hit the ground. ' _What the hell?!'_

Breaker flinched, letting Ripcord handle me instead. "Sorry," he said. "I really hate rats."

' _Doesn't mean you can drop me!'_ I growled, climbing up Ripcord's shirt until I was able to burrow into one of his shirt pockets, hidden from sight and protected from the cold.

"Sorry," Breaker murmured again, revving the engine of the snowmobile.

I curled up into a tight ball in Ripcord's shirt, doing my best not to jostle around too much; I had no idea how sensitive a rat's stomach could be. Thankfully, it seemed to be pretty sturdy, passing that test once the submarine erupted through the ice with an earthshaking crunch. I bounced around in Ripcord's pocket as we roared across the ice. I could feel some of the cold air brushing against my fur, and I was thankful that I was in Ripcord's pocket instead of outside.

Before too long, I felt the snowmobile slide to a stop, and a hand came into the pocket to pick me up. I tried not to squirm, though I was relieved when he placed me onto his shoulder, where I burrowed under his hood to keep warm. There were massive planes everywhere, one of which Ripcord was looking at with his mouth hanging open.

' _We have a mission to take care of,'_ I scolded, to which Ripcord reached a hand up to flick my ear. I nipped his hand in retaliation, and he swore at me before looking back up at the plane.

"That McCullen's got some gadgets," he said, looking over at Breaker when he gestured to an ice wall. Snake Eyes joined him, using one of his swords to slice a circle into the wall before yanking it out. Behind the ice wall were the cables.

"Maybe we could slide down," Breaker suggested. Even I gave him an odd look.

' _That water would kill you before you even got far enough,'_ I told him. ' _It's too cold.'_ I started to say something else, but a noise touched my sensitive ears. My nose twitched, and I smelled chemicals. It didn't take me long to realize what it was. ' _Get out!'_ I shout, sending my thoughts to everyone. ' _Get out, get out, get out!'_

They don't question me, turning on their heels and running out of the cave as the ground began to shake. Once we got outside, I burrowed myself deeper into Ripcord's jacket, my beady blue and black eyes the only thing visible. Circles opened up in the ice, missiles launching into the skies. Just as a third one was about to take off, Snake Eyes ran back to the cave. Ripcord's hood blocked my view, so I don't see him prepping our heat-seeking rockets. I did, however, see the rocket as it jetted from the cave like a bat out of hell and slammed into the third missile just as it was beginning to take off.

' _Well, that's one way to do it,'_ I said, looking at the smoldering metal and snow.

"Yeah," Breaker replied, looking up at the skies. "But what about the other two?"

"We find the kill switches and short out the nanomites," Ripcord said. "Bing bang boom."

Breaker shook his head, and my stomach dropped; why couldn't anything ever be simple these days?

"They're already way out of range," the techie answered. My little ears twitched, and I looked towards the sleek jet that resided within the cave. If I'd been human, I would have given a Cheshire grin.

' _Someone needs to go up there and shoot them down,'_ I said, tapping Ripcord's neck with my tail. My friend smiled, turning to look at the jet.

"That's me," he said.

()()()()()()

 **Reviews are greatly appreciated! Thanks guys! You're all so awesome! :D**

 **ML out**


	17. Rescue Mission

()()()()()()

Ripcord handed me over to Scarlet, and I quickly burrowed against her neck for warmth. She flinched at my cold paws.

 _'Sorry,'_ I apologized, head peeking over her shoulder so that I could watch Ripcord climb up into the jet. He started to flip the switches and even put on a helmet.

"Can you even fly this thing?" Scarlet asked.

' _He can fly anything,'_ I teased, and Ripcord glared at me.

"You just track those warheads and guide me in. We don't have long until they hit," he said, strapping himself into the pilot's seat.

Scarlet took a few steps forward, looking up at him. "Ripcord?" she said, her voice soft. He looked down at her, and even I could see the sparks that flew between them. Before I could protest to my position, she stepped up closer until she was able to kiss him. I grumbled softly in my thoughts, and she pulled back, her cheeks red as Ripcord just stared at her. "Good luck."

As she started to back away, Ripcord cleared his throat, catching her attention. "Do me a favor?" he asked. "Save Duke."

As one, we both nodded before the redhead turned on her heel and walked back to the others. I didn't even have to look back to know that Ripcord's grinning like a fool. We turned to watch the jet take off, the smell of exhaust fumes hurting my nose and eyes. Thankfully, Ripcord was able to steer it out onto the ice with little difficulty, tearing out from the cave and launching into the sky. We watched for a few more seconds before moving into action.

Scarlet grabbed me from her shoulder, placing me into her pocket and covering it. "Sorry, Spirit," she said. "I don't want to lose you, and you might as well stay hidden; you're our secret weapon."

' _I understand,'_ I replied, curling into a ball in her pocket so that I wasn't tossed every which way. I could feel us moving across the ice before what felt like dropping.

I felt like we were going every which way, Scarlet murmuring "Sorry" under her breath every few moments; I gave up on telling her that I was fine. Thankfully, I stopped being tossed around after a few minutes, and Scarlet put me back onto her shoulder. We were in a hallway, the whole thing made of some kind of shiny material, a door at the end of it.

 _'What are we waiting for?'_ I asked, flicking my tail. ' _Let's go.'_

"We can't," Scarlet explained. "The floor's pressure plated and laser protected."

"And no way around it," Breaker cut in. "Any object larger than a quarter will fry your britches."

I started to say that I could just fly across, but Snake Eyes beat me to the punch. He took a step forward and moved into a handstand, landing on his fingertips. I watched in amazement as he walked across the floor using just his thumbs. It took him a few minutes to reach the other side, and I was amused to discover that Scarlet and Breaker had been holding their breaths; like there was any doubt Snake Eyes wouldn't have been able to do it.

"Ok," Breaker said once Snake Eyes had reached the other side. "What you'll have to do is rewire the laser panel's brain by —"

Snake Eyes cut Breaker off by balancing on one hand while the other went for his sword, slicing through the panel before the laser net vanished.

"Or you could just stab it," the techie finished before we all hurried across the floor to where Snake Eyes was.

We rushed inside, though once again, Snake Eyes beat us to the punch. He took out the two technicians before shutting off the laser cannons and then typing something on his wrist.

' _Well, that was easy,'_ I mused, twitching my nose from my position on Scarlet's shoulder.

Scarlet started to reply, but then the whole facility began to shake. I squealed, digging my claws into Scarlet's shoulder so that I wasn't thrown to the ground.

' _What was that?'_ I demanded, trying to keep my balance.

"Your cue," Scarlet said with a chuckle, taking me off of her shoulder and placing me on the ground. "Breaker and I are going to head to the control room, see if we can't help Ripcord get rid of those warheads. You go find Duke."

Even as a rat, I could give a mean smile. ' _Let's go make a mess,'_ I said before I changed.

()()()()()()

I stalked through the hallways, my thick fur protecting me from the cold air. Already, my muzzle and paws were stained with blood from the horrid smelling soldiers that I'd kept away from Scarlet and Breaker as they got to the control room. Now, I was on my mission to find Duke. His scent was nowhere to be found, and even the soldiers had mysteriously disappeared; it made my fur stand up on end.

I snarled as I padded silently through the hallways, searching for any sign of Duke. I kept within the shadows of the hall, trying to be as quiet as I could. I froze when I heard a scream of anguish, immediately stalking towards it. I pressed close to the wall when I reached a corner, crouching low and attempting to get a good look as to what was going on.

Duke was on the ground, holding Ana, who appeared to be dead. I bared my fangs, though didn't make a sound; I didn't want to give myself away.

"Is she alive?" McCullen asked, though he didn't particularly seem to care.

"For now," another man said. I didn't recognize him, but he smelled like rotting flesh. I flicked my ears back in disgust, crouching lower to the ground.

"I thought this couldn't happen," McCullen said in almost a growl. I smiled mentally; looks like the child didn't get what he wanted.

I looked over my shoulder to make sure that no one was sneaking up on me, whipping my head back around when I heard a commotion. Duke had grabbed Ana's pistol and killed two of the nasty smelling men before he'd leveled it at the man who smelled like rotting flesh.

"I wouldn't," he replied smoothly. "I press this, Ana dies."

I caught movement from the corner of my eye, and I took a hesitant step forward so that I could see better. While Duke was distracted by the "zombie man", McCullen had slipped something from his sleeve. I snarled soundlessly, gathering my hind legs underneath me as I slipped around the corner, barely paying attention to McCullen as he taunted Duke about Ana's love for him.

"All I know is that neither of you deserves her," Duke snarled at them, protectively covering Ana's body with his own. McCullen's face turned an ugly purple color, and I saw that he was going to move before Duke did. Without really thinking about it, I launched forward from my hiding sport, biting into McCullen's wrist with the prehistoric power of a sabertooth tiger. At the same time, Duke shot off the pistol, nearly hitting me in the process. I pulled back on McCullen's wrist, bringing him into the line of fire as he tried to burn Duke with the hose. The flames and the pulse collided, sending the flames back at myself and McCullen. I yowled in pain, releasing McCullen's wrist as I stumbled back and tried to extinguish the flames on my side and shoulder.

' _Really Duke?!'_ I snapped at him, looking down at the blackened skin that ran down my left side. ' _First you shoot me and then you get me barbecued.'_

Duke wasn't paying any attention to me, more concerned with Ana than he was with me. He grabbed the device that the foul smelling man had been holding, doing something with it. I watched in silence, my skin itching and pulling as the damaged skin healed from the burns. Duke gave a sigh of relief as he pressed a final button, and Ana gasped for breath as though coming up from underwater. Her eyes find me, and she shrank away, eyes wide as tawny fur finished covering the blackened skin.

' _Duke,'_ I said as gently as I could, feeling the earth beginning to shake underneath my paws. ' _Duke, we need to go before this whole place collapses on top of us.'_

Duke nodded, picking Ana's slender form up with ease. "Take the lead," he told me, and I nodded in turn, turning on my heel and darting down the hallway as fast as my stubby legs would allow me to go.

()()()()()()


	18. Resurfacing

()()()()()()

I had to pause for breath after a few moments, exhausted. ' _Go,'_ I snapped towards Duke, sensing his own fatigue. ' _I'll be fine if this place comes down; you won't.'_

"Don't you know I never leave a Joe behind?" Duke shouted over the explosions.

' _I'm not a Joe,'_ I said, flanks heaving for breath. ' _Now go! I'll be right behind you.'_ Duke hesitated, and I growled at him, ears pinned. ' _Go!'_

I watched as Duke reluctantly started forward, still carrying Ana. I stayed where I was for a few moments longer, catching my breath even as the floor rocked underneath me. Once the floor began to crack open, however, I started to move again, but not towards the exit. No, I headed towards the largest crack in the floor, feeling the frigid water strike at my paws. I growled at the coldness of it, knowing that my Great White shark form wouldn't be able to handle the cold. I quickly ran through the animals that I could change into, calling upon my limited knowledge of the creatures. One finally came to mind, and I quickly thought of it as the floor finally gave out from under my feet, sending me into the icy waters below.

My yowl of surprise and shock was cut off as water flooded my mouth, and I panicked momentarily, losing my hold on the shift I'd wanted. I writhed for a few precious seconds, my limbs slowly going numb. It didn't take long for my eyes to start to close, a memory coming to mind:

 _"Together," I told her. "Not leave pack behind." I could feel the emotions radiating off of Jean, and I tightened my grip, giving her strength._

 _"I'm sorry," Jean said, tears running down her face. "This is the only way." She didn't break eye contact with the water as it rushed around us, a cocoon forming around the jet and ourselves. The jet was almost all the way into the air now. I tried not to listen to the screams of anguish coming from inside the jet._

 _I felt tears running down my own eyes, and I closed my eyes. Heat and energy cascaded down my arm and shoulder as it stayed in contact with Jean, spreading throughout my entire body. I felt something wrapping around me, a powerful energy that I couldn't even begin to fathom. I couldn't watch as Jean shoved the jet the rest of the way into the skies, and the roar of water was all that I heard as ten thousand tons of water crashed on top of the two of us._

 _My last thought was that I wasn't going home._

My eyes snapped open; I wasn't going to go through that again. Cold, not from the water, spread through my chest as what remained of Phoenix tried to rise up, attempting to take control while I was weary. I mentally snarled, wrestling my brain into working just long enough for me to locate a better animal form, black and white and large. The other half of myself was forcing Phoenix into submission, despite how strong she was; my panic helped, since I didn't want Phoenix to gain control, especially not now with innocents in the way.

My fur quickly changed to a smooth rubbery substance, thickening and insulating my body. My bones stretched, and I twisted in the water as pain laced itself through my entire body. My hind legs merged into a heavy tail, teeth shortening into tiny needle points. The shift didn't take long, probably because I was forcing it to go as fast as it would go. As soon as I'd finished shifting, I used the rest of my mental strength to shove Phoenix down into the depths, tying her down as best as I could.

I gave a powerful sweep of my tail, shooting towards the surface. My broad back slammed into the ice, enough for me to breath through the hole in my back. I took a deep breath before submerging again, swimming away from the base as it crumbled towards the ocean floor. I couldn't see very well, but I followed the orca's instincts, giving off high-pitched clicks and receiving images in turn. I could "see" fighting going on, but I hung back, not wanting to be shot at by the much larger machines; they could blast me to kingdom come. Instead, I took out a few of the smaller subs, which had been ignoring me until that point, probably thinking that I was just some innocent whale.

My tail and nose worked wonders when I slammed them into the sides of the subs, breaking a few clean in half. I had to surface periodically to breathe, but I tried to stay under the water for as long as I could, giving the Joes time to escape, regroup, or whatever else it was they were trying to do.

' _Go Joes,'_ I mused as I crushed the last of Cobra's submarines.

()()()()()()


	19. A New Enemy on the Horizon

**Hello my lovelies! My beautiful peoples! I am alive! Hehe! I'm am so sorry for how long this has taken me; college has really been kicking my ass lately, and I've been too exhausted to really be able to do anything. And now, I am so happy to give you guys some chapters to read!**

 **Let's see, what have I missed: Happy Valentine's Day! Happy St. Patrick's Day! Happy April Fool's Day! And happy anything else I may have forgotten! Hehe!**

 **Thanks to all of those who reviewed last chapter, y'all are freakin' amazing and awesome!**

 **PS: If you haven't already, go read HextheDaydreamer's GI Joe fanfiction _Casualties!_ It is so so so so epic and amazing! Plus, the sequel _Of Chameleons and Wolves_ is also up, and it's just as - if not better - than the first! Definitely give it a try!**

()()()()()()

Not much happened after that. Somehow, Scarlet and Snake Eyes managed to get me into their sub, where I was able to rest in my wolf form; there wasn't any spare clothing, and I figured that the men had had enough for the day without me walking around naked. I'd learned that Duke and Ana had taken the foul smelling man into custody; apparently, he was Ana's brother. Talk about messed up family. Storm Shadow was presumed dead, and McCullen was also in custody, though his head was metallic now, no skin. I shivered to think of what Magneto could do to a man with a metal head.

As soon as we arrived back to the Joes base of operations, Duke took Ana to the infirmary, the others heading off for treatment as well. Me, well, I kept an eye on the comings and goings of everyone; it wasn't like _I_ needed treatment. I walked down the hallways in my human form, having snagged some spare fatigues from a passing soldier; it was easier to pass unnoticed in the form of a human than in the form of a wolf. People still gave me a few strange looks, probably from my bicolored eyes, but most were too busy trying to take care of the wounded to worry about a lone soldier. Walking helped to clear my head and make sure that the action hadn't jump started Phoenix into coming out to play. I rubbed my chest where I usually felt the burning cold sensation of Phoenix's rage. Thankfully, it seemed to have dulled. For now.

As I walked, I came to pass a seemingly dead man laying on a gurney a little ways away from the others; death didn't bother me as it did the others. I looked down at him in sorrow, wishing that there hadn't been as much loss of life as there had been.

"Go peacefully to the eternal hunting grounds," I murmured softly, touching his brow before starting to walk onwards once more. To my shock, something grabbed my wrist, and I turned to look at the man with a gasp. The man that I had thought to be dead, was not, and he held my wrist in a steel-like grasp.

"He searches for you," the man rasped, and I gagged at the smell of him, of old blood and the start of decay. "He searches for the wolf who hides as a man - or woman, I guess." He ran his bloodshot eyes over my form, chuckling, before continuing to speak. "You stand in his way; he will find you."

My blood froze in my veins, and I tried to tug off his grasp again. "Let go," I demanded. "I don't know this man you speak of."

The man gave another rattling chuckle; I didn't now how he still lived, it should have been impossible. "You will," he said ominously. "You will. And you should be afraid." He gave a third chuckle, but this time, it turned into a cough. Blood splattered from his lips before he fell back against the gurney, truly dead this time.

I pulled my arm free from the dead man's grasp, holding it with my other hand as though that would make the phantom feeling go away. What had he meant? Who was I to be afraid of? Apparently someone was after me, but who? And why now?

I shook my head at all the questions; I wasn't going to get answers just by standing there. I looked over my shoulder, tapping a nurse on the shoulder as she passed. When she turned to look at me, her eyes dark with shadows, I pointed to the dead man.

"Who was he?" I asked, turning to look back at her.

The nurse took a quick look before shaking her head slightly. "I don't know," she said. "He was one of those Neo-Vipers that attacked the Pit; we were going to take him for some tests to see if we could better figure out how they were created. Why?"

I repressed a shutter at the mentioning of "tests"; I don't think I'd ever be comfortable with that word. "No reason," I murmured, turning and starting to walk again. He'd been one of those rotting men! Was he talking about the doctor, Ana's brother? If so, what use would he have for me? And how did he know that I was a wolf if we'd never met before?

"Too many questions," I murmured to myself, running a hand through my auburn curls; I was going to have to cut it again soon, if only to get it out of my face.

"Spirit."

I jerked slightly when I heard my name, turning to look over my shoulder. I gave a sigh of relief when I saw who it was.

"General Hawk," I greeted with a nod of my head. "It's good to see you up and about. Well, for the most part."

General Hawk chuckled, wheeling up next to me; at that moment, he reminded me of Professor Xavier. I swallowed past the lump in my throat at the thought of my old mentor, shaking my head to get rid of the cobwebs that lingered.

"I heard that you helped the Joes with Cobra," he said, leaning back in the wheelchair. "For that, I thank you. We would have lost a many more good men had you not interfered."

I gave a faint smile. "You're welcome, General," I replied. "But, to be honest, I was only doing what I would have done for the X-Men."

"Still," Hawk said with a slight shrug. "I thank you either way." He paused before speaking again. "You know, with the Joes reinstated, maybe you'd like to stay for awhile?"

I was already shaking my head. "No," I said, though I was hesitating as I said it. I sighed, closing my eyes and taking a moment to breathe before I continued. "I think that I've had enough action for a lifetime. First with the X-Men, and now with you. I still have things I need to deal with."

"Like with what happened in San Fransisco?" General Hawk asked gently. I instinctively started to rub at my chest, looking away.

"Yes," I replied softly. "I want to make sure that I am in control of this; I don't want to risk hurting anyone. Maybe a few months of retirement will do me good."

"If retirement is what you're looking for, I may have somewhere you can stay. It'll cost me a favor, but I think that it would be worth it. Consider it a thanks for taking care of my men."

I looked at General Hawk a little funny, dropping my hand from my chest. "And where exactly do you plan on sending me, General?" I asked, a little wary.

"That's classified," the general replied with a wink. "But I will escort you there personally once I've recovered. I take it you'll be going as your wolfy self?"

I rolled my eyes. "People don't take well to having a wolf living with them," I said. "I will return to my shepherd form; it is easier to explain than a wolf." When the general raised an eyebrow in surprise, I rolled my eyes again. "Just because I am wolf, does not mean I am stupid."

"Fair enough," General Hawk said with a small smile, turning his wheelchair. "I'll go make some calls then."

I nodded slightly, watching him go, before I went to go find somewhere to lay down and sleep.

()()()()()()

 **Reviews make my day! And I'll try to have a few more chapters up before the night is over! Please please please review! Thank you, my lovelies! And I hope you've had a wonderful Saturday.**

 **ML out**


	20. For the Best

()()()()()()

I woke to someone prodding my shoulder, and I growled in annoyance, swatting the hand away. A deep chuckle sounded from behind me, but I refused to move.

"Aw, don't be like that, Sprite," came Ripcord's voice from behind me, poking at me again.

I opened my black eye, glaring up at him. Ripcord refused to be deterred, even by my demonic eye, and he poked me for a third time. I smacked his hand away again, closing my eye.

"I'll bite you," I threatened, my voice a little muffled by the sheets. "Don't think I won't."

"Oh, I know you would," Ripcord teased. "But you'd have to actually get up to do that." Once again, there was a poke to my side.

In a blur of movement, I twisted around and grabbed Ripcord's wrist in a death grip, not even leaving the covers. Ripcord yelped in surprise, and I chuckled, tightening my grip slightly. "Say it," I told him.

"Uncle!" Ripcord said quickly as my grip continued to tighten. "Uncle! Uncle!"

I laughed, letting go of his wrist as I slowly sat up, my muscles sore and tight after all the shifting I'd done in the past couple of days. I yawned, stretching as best I could without sending a fresh wave of agony down through my bones.

"I heard that you're leaving," Ripcord said softly after a few moments, all laughter gone.

I nodded, a small pang going through my heart as I thought about leaving the big black man. "I have to, Rip," I explained. "I'm still dealing with . . . this thing." I tapped my chest before continuing. "I guess I need to retire for a few months, get my head on straight, before I hurt someone."

"You won't hurt anyone, Sprite," Ripcord said, touching the back of my hand gently. "I know you; you wouldn't hurt anyone without reason."

"Like that guard at the Eiffel Tower?" I asked flatly, putting my hands in my lap. "Like what happened with Snake Eyes? Face it, Rip; I'm a danger to those around me. I can't control this rage, not when it takes ahold of me. Sure, I'm keeping things under wraps now. But what happens when someone hits me too hard during a training bout? Or in the field? I can't risk that; I would never forgive myself if I hurt an innocent, you know that."

Ripcord was quiet for a few moments before he gave a faint smile. "I know," he said. "Doesn't mean I won't miss you being around."

I smiled back at him in turn. "I know, Rip," I replied. "I know."

()()()()()()

It took about two weeks for General Hawk to be well enough to take me to my new home. During those two weeks, I trained with Snake Eyes.

He had realized that I had no idea how to fight in my human form; I'd only ever fought in the forms of different animals. So, the ninja took it upon himself to teach me the basics of jujitsu. It was weird, using my human body to fight; wouldn't it be easier to just shift into my wolf form and kill with tooth and claw? I tried making the same argument to the ninja, but he told me - using Scarlet as translator - that one day I might not be able to shift quickly enough, and he was teaching me in case I was attacked while in my human form. I'd glared balefully at him, but he hadn't relented. And so, that's how I ended up being knocked onto my butt multiple times in one day.

I scowled up at Snake Eyes for the millionth time that day, having been knocked onto my ass for the billionth time that day. He came at me without remorse, even while I was down. I twisted out of the way, kicking out at his knees as he passed. He dodged, of course, but my kick at least nicked him and threw him off balance. I brought my legs up under me and pushed off, lunging at Snake Eyes and wrapping my arms around his legs, bringing him to the ground with me.

Snake Eyes twisted like the serpent he was named after, shoving me off with one, well placed kick to my shoulder. I rolled, popping back up to my feet in an instant. I didn't take my eyes off of the ninja, even when I heard someone clapping by the entrance to the training area.

"Well done," I heard General Hawk say, though I still refused to look away. Only when Snake Eyes nodded his consent, did I look towards the general.

"I don't see how," I grumbled, wiping sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand.

"Not many can hold their own against Snake Eyes," General Hawk explained. "I'm impressed."

I only shrugged, not really caring about what he thought about my fighting skills; I was learning to fight so that I wouldn't collect anymore scars, that's all. Absently, I rubbed one of the scars visible on the back of my hand. If Hawk noticed, he didn't say anything.

"If you're ready," Hawk started, "then we can leave tomorrow. Doctors finally cleared me for travel."

I could only nod, not trusting my voice. General Hawk watched me for a few moments before he turned and left, walking slowly due to his still healing injury. I jumped when Snake Eyes came up behind me, touching my shoulder. He cocked his head slightly to one side, and I shook my head.

"I'll be fine," I told him softly. "It's for the best, right?"

()()()()()()

 **Y'all know the drill! (;**

 **ML**


	21. Goodbyes

()()()()()()

The next morning, I was in my wolf form, trotting after General Hawk as he walked towards a nondescript black Jeep. My dogtags clicked softly around my neck as I walked, the metal almost completely hidden under my white fur. I tried not to think of the people I was leaving behind, the new packmates I'd found for myself. I hadn't told them I was leaving; I hated goodbyes. I knew I wouldn't be that lucky though, to leave without notice.

Sure enough, just as I was about to get into the Jeep, I heard my name being shouted behind me.

"Spirit!" Ripcord hollered as he ran over to me, Duke and the others close at his heels. "Spirit, wait up!"

Hawk looked down at me when my name was called before turning his gaze onto Ripcord. He gave a faint smile, returning his eyes to me. "Go on," he said. "I'll wait for you in the Jeep."

I nodded at him before I trotted towards the others. Ripcord slowed to a stop as I approached, Duke nearly running into his back, and Scarlet nearly running into Duke. Snake Eyes was quick enough to dodge to the side, avoiding the pileup. I snorted a chuckle, coming to sit in front of the group.

Ripcord knelt down first, and I tapped my tail against the ground. He ruffled the fur on the top of my head, and I flicked my ears back.

"You didn't expect to get out of here without saying good-bye did you?" he asked, his voice soft. I gave a whine, licking his hand. Ripcord sighed, wrapping his arms around my neck and giving me a fierce squeeze. I rested my head on his shoulder, pressing against him and closing my eyes to savor the moment.

My eyes opened when I felt a tug on my dogtags, and I looked down in time to see Ripcord clipping another tag onto the chain. I turned my bicolored gaze onto him, cocking my head slightly to the side.

 _'What's this?'_ I asked, lowering my head to try and look at the tag.

Ripcord held it up, and I was a little taken aback to see the tag read _OFFICIAL BADASS_ with a stamp of a paw print just below it. He turned it over to show me the back, which held the GI Joe emblem of an eagle's head with a star below the beak.

"The badass thing was Duke's idea," Ripcord said with a wink. "We figured that a traditional tag would be too boring, so Snake Eyes and Scarlet helped us pull some strings to get this one made for you."

I gazed down at the tag in shock, unable to believe that the Joes had had it made specifically for me. If dogs could cry, I was certainly about to.

 _'Thank you, Rip,'_ I said softly, coming towards him and resting my head against his chest. ' _I'm going to miss you. So much.'_

Ripcord hugged me again before he stood up, tugging affectionately on one of my ears. "You better come visit now," he said, tapping my nose and chuckling. "It won't be the same here without you."

Duke came up next to Ripcord before kneeling down, smiling sadly. "He's right," he said. "It won't be the same here."

I gave a faint smile, cocking my head slightly to one side so that my ears flopped a little. Duke laughed, and I went over to him, licking his cheek as he hugged me. We reluctantly pulled apart, and Duke tugged at the tags around my neck, like he always did before we'd gone on a mission back when I was a bomb dog; it was hard to believe that that had only been a few weeks ago. So much had changed since then; I had changed so much since then, it felt like.

When Duke pulled back, Scarlet came forward and knelt next. She smirked, giving me a salute before giving me a hug. "Come and visit," she told me when she pulled back. "Maybe I'll finally get to teach you how to use a gun."

' _I don't do guns,'_ I said in amusement, nipping her hand gently. _'You know that.'_

Scarlet shrugged. "Hey, if Snake Eyes can get you to fight in your human form, I can get you to use a gun."

I gave a mental chuckle, and Scarlet gave a wide grin. She ruffled my fur, and then Snake Eyes took her place. When he knelt, I stayed sitting where I was, still a little unsure of the ninja.

' _A man of few words,'_ I teased, eyes twinkling with mischief.

Snake Eyes watched me from behind his visor for a few silent moments before he reached forward and placed his index finger right between my eyes. He held it there for a second before moving his finger to touch my chest, right over my heart.

' _You know, I still don't have a clue as to what you're trying to tell me,'_ I told him, though I had a feeling I knew exactly what he was trying to say. ' _Thank you, Snake Eyes. For putting up with me and for teaching me.'_

Snake Eyes gave a deep bow of his head, and I bowed my head back to him, as though respecting an alpha. Without another sound, the ninja rose, rejoining the semicircle the others had formed around me.

"You take care of yourself now, Sprite," Heavy Duty said, arms crossed as he grinned at me. Breaker looked a little peeved, and Heavy gave him a sharp nudge to the ribs. The Frenchman cursed at him, scowling, before he looked at me.

"Take care of yourself, blah, blah, blah," he grumbled. "You still owe me a burrito!"

I barked in laughter, my tail sweeping across the floor. ' _I'll miss you, too, Breaker,'_ I teased, slowly getting to my feet.

I ran my blue and black eyes across the people I'd befriended, those that had made my pack a little bigger. My heart ached at the thought of having to leave them, as I had left the X-Men, but I knew that it was for the best. I didn't want to hurt them, and I had to get control of myself before I'd trust myself to be around. Plus, I needed to find out who was after me; the dying man's words still haunted me, and whether or not he was telling the truth, I wasn't about to take any chances. If someone, or something, was after me, I wasn't about to lead him, or her, straight to my packmates. And so, I turned around, jogging towards the Jeep where Hawk was waiting.

I didn't look back.

()()()()()()

 **Hopefully I'll have another chapter up soon, though it may not be for a few weeks; my goal, however, is to have one up by next week. (; Have a great weekend, you guys, and I hope these three chapters will keep you entertained until I'm able to start up again!**

 **ML**


	22. A New Home

**Thanks to those who reviewed! They made me smile, and they really made my weekend! And so, we finally get to see where Spirit is heading, though I have a feeling most of you have already guessed. (; Enjoy this next chapter, please review, and happy Monday!**

 **HextheDaydreamer: Firstly, I am not a minx, merely a vixen. (; Hehe! Sorry, couldn't help myself. Anyway the compliments are well deserved. And I do like to spoil my loyal readers.**

 **Expendablesguest: I haven't really thought about love interests, but it may be a possibility for the future. Depending, of course, on Spirit's attitude for it.**

()()()()()()

We drove for hours. I slept for most of it, curled up on the passenger-side seat. General Hawk must have driven with dogs before because he kept reaching over to fondle one of my ears, like it was an instinctive reaction. I didn't complain; how could I, when he was taking me somewhere safe?

I don't know exactly how long it took us to reach our destination, but it was long enough. I had to get Hawk to stop a couple of times so that I could relieve myself, and we pulled into a drive thru a couple of times to get food and something to drink. By the time we finally pulled into a neighborhood, I was antsy, pacing the backseat and jumping back and forth between the front and the back; I think even Hawk was getting annoyed of me by then.

Hawk pulled into the driveway of a pristine white house with a perfectly groomed yard, parking the car and shutting off the engine. I jumped back int the front seat, sticking my nose out the window and taking a deep whiff. All I could really smell was flowers and the scent of a few other dogs. I turned my head to look at Hawk as he started to get out of the Jeep.

' _Where are we?'_ I asked, making to come after him, but he shut the door before I could. I gave an annoyed bark before growling at him. ' _What gives?'_

Hawk chuckled, reaching through the window to tug on one of my ears. "Just stay here for a few minutes, alright? I'll be right back," he said before he started up the driveway to the front door. He moved slowly — the car drive hadn't really been the best thing for his wounds — and it took him awhile to make it to the door. I moved back over to the passenger-side window, using my paw to roll down the window so that I could stick my whole head out.

General Hawk started to knock on the door, and it opened before his fist even made contact, revealing an older bald man. My ears shot forward, and I gave a soft whine; he looked so much like Professor Xavier. The duo ignored me, talking in lowered voices. The bald man, the one that looked like Professor X, suddenly gave a loud laugh, shaking his head. I jerked slightly at the sound, ears flicking back before they came back up again.

"I'm retired, Clayton," the bald man said, raising his voice enough that I was able to hear it. "The last thing I need is to be babysitting some PTSD soldier."

"This isn't your average soldier, Joseph," Hawk replied. "And she's trying to retire, too. Give it at least a week. Please. As a favor to me."

The bald man, Joseph, groaned, running a hand over his face. " _She_ , Clayton? Really? You expect me to take in a woman?"

Hawk chuckled, turning his head and putting his fingers to his lips. He gave a shrill whistle, and I immediately leapt from the Jeep window, landing easily and loping across the immaculate lawn before coming to a stop next to Hawk's side. The bald man looked down at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Like I said," Hawk replied, "she's not your average soldier." In response, I barked towards Joseph, wagging my tail.

The bald man groaned again, pinching the bridge of his nose. He stayed like that for a few heartbeats before he sighed. "I'm only doing this because I owe you a favor," he said, giving me an odd look. "She is one demonic looking dog."

I growled slightly at the insult, though I couldn't blame him; I probably wasn't the prettiest looking thing, especially now that most of my scars showed. Plus, there was that lovely black eye Phoenix had also left me with.

"She's also a sensitive soul," Hawk said in response, chuckling at Joseph's face when he heard me growling at his comment. "Her name is Spirit."

"Yeah, well, she's a bloody spirit alright," Joseph murmured, folding his arms across his broad chest.

"Well, she's your spirit now," Hawk said, handing him a file of papers that I hadn't noticed him holding until now.

Joseph took them with a grunt, still eyeing me warily. I wagged my tail, opening my mouth to allow my tongue to loll out. The bald man finally had to look away, flipping through the files.

"It's mostly her medical records," Hawk told him. "Some of it consists of her commands and military history."

 _'All falsified, I assume?'_ I asked Hawk. He swatted at me instead of answering, and I snickered in his thoughts, ignoring the weird look Joseph was giving us.

"She's not your average soldier," Hawk said for the third time, and I snorted.

 _'I think he gets it,'_ I told him with a roll of my eyes.

Hawk swatted at me again, and I ducked under his hand with a playful growl. "Take care of her," he told Joseph, who was tucking the files under his arm. "She's a hero."

"I'll do what I can," Joseph replied, watching Hawk as he knelt down next to me.

"And you take care of him, alright?" he murmured, tugging on my ear.

 _'I'll do what I can,'_ I teased, licking his cheek. General Hawk chuckled, tugging on my ear again before he slowly rose. I watched as he saluted Joseph, who saluted back in turn, before he started back towards the Jeep.

He didn't look back, not even when he pulled out of the driveway and drove off.

()()()()()()

Once Hawk was gone, Joseph just looked at me for what felt like the longest time. I huffed towards him, sitting down on the porch step and looking at him in return. He finally just grunted and headed inside. I immediately got up and followed him, my nails clicking against the wooden floor.

He threw the file on the counter as I explored, and I could still feel his eyes on me as I explored my new home. The whole house reeked of gunpowder and oil; I could even smell it in the kitchen. I sneezed once before finally just going to the living room and plopping down with a heavy groan.

Joseph came over to the living room, still watching me, as he sat down in his recliner and propped his feet up before turning on the TV.

It took a couple of hours before he finally stopped looking at me like I was going to bite him. I dozed in the fading sunlight as it came in through the window, sprawled on my side and snoring softly.

When he got up to get something to eat, I got up to follow him. I wasn't exactly sure how a retired military dog was supposed to act, so I was mainly going off of instinct and what I'd seen on TV when I'd lived at the X-Mansion. I sat down by the counter as Joseph opened the fridge and started digging around in it. I could smell at least three different types of meat, a couple of different cheeses, and a heck of a lot of beer. He got out a bottle of beer and set it on the counter before he started to make himself a sandwich. I watched him, the scent of the meat tantalizing.

Joseph looked at me and grunted before tossing me a piece of ham. I snapped it out of the air, eating it so that none of it would touch the ground, before licking my lips and sitting down to see if I'd get anymore handouts.

"You are some demonic looking dog," he said as he tossed me a piece of cheese. "Sorry, but you are."

I only snorted, polishing off my cheese and then another piece of ham that followed after it. Joseph watched me for a second, tossing me a third piece of ham, before he went back to his recliner with his sandwich and a beer in hand. I licked my lips and sniffed around for any remaining scraps before trotting after him, reclaiming my spot in the fading sunlight.

This . . . this I could get used to.

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 **Whelp, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Please, please, please review! They make my week and make me post chapters faster! (; And, of course, y'all probably know what comes next.**

 **Anyway, I hope you guys have a great week and enjoy life!**

 **ML out**


	23. The Good Life

**HextheDaydreamer: And Spirit has definitely had it rough. I thought I'd give her a break from all the hell I put her through. Lol!**

 **Expendablesguest: Thank you so much for your kind words! They made my day!**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed the last chapter, and I hope you guys enjoy this one! Please please please review! I had over 100 views and only 2 reviews. Reviews let me know what you guys think of this story! Thanks!**

 **Enjoy this latest chapter of Spirit's Life! (:**

()()()()()()

And so, that's how my life went for the next year or so.

Joseph finally warmed up to me, and we did just about everything together. He took me out for walks - though he learned early on that I wouldn't tolerate a collar or leash - and we went hiking and camping, and I felt what it was like to be a dog for once. Ok, to be honest, I would shift into my wolf form at night when Joseph was sleeping; I had made the mistake of not shifting before when I was with Duke, and it had hurt like a son of a bitch when I did have to shift. So, I kept in practice, making sure that I didn't wake my new friend at night. I even shifted into my human form a few times to get food or to practice some of the techniques that Snake Eyes had taught me; I wasn't going to let my skills go to waste. When I worked in my human form, I couldn't help but to look at the mirror sometimes. My eyes were still bicolored, one black as pitch and one icy blue. My hair was shorter — I'd cut it shortly after I'd started training with Snake Eyes — coming to my shoulders; it had become curlier once I'd cut it, and it was the color of dried blood, having become darker after my time with Phoenix. Lighter highlights streaked through it, and I felt like I would have been pretty, by human standards, had it not been for my scars. I could see the white lacework against my slightly tanned skin, some of them surgical and the rest of them from battle. Most of them, like the tight cluster of three bullet holes on my chest, I could remember where I got them from. Others, like the random scars on my legs and arms, I couldn't. I hated that my scars were visible now; they reminded me of times I wanted to forget. Others may have disagreed, saying that they were trophies of my survival, but I couldn't see them that way. Some of those scars reminded me of all that I'd lost, and I'd lost too much to want to have to remember it all.

So, I kept to my German shepherd form for the most part, staying close to Joseph at all times. He'd become a good friend to me, maybe even family. He didn't know about my abilities, but he accepted me all the same. One of our favorite things to do was to walk around the block a couple of times before we'd go inside for a sandwich and a beer. Well, Joseph would eat the sandwich and beer; I was stuck with dog food, unfortunately. At least Joseph gave me real food mixed with it - even he felt bad about giving me such bland crap. Even Phoenix had practically disappeared; I felt like she'd gone dormant, leaving me with a sense of peace. I hadn't had to worry about her for awhile, and it was a refreshing feeling.

One day, after living with Joseph for over sixteen months, we went out on a camping trip. This wasn't an odd thing for us, and I got excited to get out into the woods; it made me feel like a wolf again. I saw Joseph packing, and I politely stayed out of his way as he got the car ready before he whistled for me. I shot out of the house, leaping into the front seat through the open window without scratching the paint; the first couple of times I'd jumped through the window, I had left scratches in the car where I hadn't quite been able to reach the window completely. With a lot of practice, I'd gotten the hang of not hitting the side of the car.

Now, I barked at Joseph to hurry, tail wagging as he made his way around the car.

"I'm coming, demon dog," he murmured under his breath as he got into the driver's side. He rarely ever called me Spirit; most of the time, it was demon dog or mutt. "No need to get your tail in a twist."

I only barked at him again, and he grunted as he put the car in drive and we were off.

()()()()()()

It took us about an hour to drive to our usual camping grounds, and my head was out the window almost the entire time. Joseph chuckled at me, patting my rump if my tail started wagging in his face. I would stop for a few minutes before it would start wagging again, and the cycle would repeat itself. When the familiar scent of trees and prey animals hit my nose, it took all my willpower not to leap out the window and take off.

Joseph came to a stop at the camping grounds, and I leapt out, prancing and barking around his feet. He chuckled, ruffling the fur on my head as he went to the back to grab his small backpack. We were both survivors, he and I. On our first camping trip together, I learned that he liked to live off the land; it reminded him of his time in the military. The pack mostly held cups and bowls, as well as a hammock that could be folded up into a tight little ball; it was better than a tent at any rate in my opinion. Sometimes I wore a vest that held first aid supplies and rations, but that was only if we went for a long trip. Since I was lacking a vest, I guessed that we were only staying for a day or two - our longer trips were no shorter than two weeks.

Joseph finished locking the car and making sure everything was in place before he gave me a signal with his hand. Reluctantly, I sat down, ears pricked as high as they would go. My companion chuckled, starting off without me. I whined, ears flicking back and then forward. He did this most of the time, to tease me or keep my "military skills" in check, I wasn't sure. So, I put up with it; after all, I was a well-trained, retired military dog. Yeah, I tried not to laugh at that either.

Joseph was well out of sight, hidden in the trees, when I heard his whistle. Without barely a pause, I pushed off with my hind legs and bolted towards here I'd heard the whistle. Joseph's scent was unique, a mix of gunpowder and alcohol that reminded me all to well of Logan, so it was easy to follow. I caught up with Joseph within moments, spinning around his legs and barking at him. He laughed, tugging an ear.

"Good girl," he said, making a forward movement with his hand. "Go search."

Eagerly, I did as he asked, sniffing at the ground as I went. His command was for me to find food for the night, though, technically, it was for me to find bombs and any other traps that may have been waiting for us. We'd sort of learned over the past year how to modify the commands to do something different; the fact that I knew what he was saying may have helped a little. I stayed in sight of Joseph for awhile until I scented rabbit. I pricked my ears and sat to show that I'd found something. Joseph smiled and nodded, making the forward movement with his hand again.

"Fetch," he said. Without a second's hesitation, I took off after the scent trail.

I waited until I was out of eyeshot before I shifted, mid-run. My black and tanned fur became white, my legs lengthening and my muscles bulking up. I withheld a howl as I loped through the forest on silent feet; I didn't want Joseph worrying about me if he heard the howl of a wolf. I followed my nose after the scent of rabbit, slowing my pace as it got stronger and crouching down to hide my white self in the tall grass. It felt good to be hunting as a wolf again, especially out in the woods.

I slunk closer to the rabbit that I could see nibbling on some clover, eyes never wavering from its plump form. The wind was blowing forwards me, tantalizing my senses with the smell of rabbit, and I paused a few feet from it, checking my weight before I leapt. I landed easily on the rabbit, biting into its neck before it even knew what had happened. I picked its limp form up in my jaws, turning and trotting back towards Joseph, shifting as I went back into my German Shepherd form.

Joseph greeted me with praise, gently taking the rabbit and running a hand down my back. "Nice one you got here," he said. "Nice and plump." I barked in agreement, tail wagging as I trotted after him.

We walked for about a mile or two, heading towards our usual camp site that we'd used in the past. It was hard to get to, but well worth the effort. I took the lead, pushing through the thick brambles and weaving through the undergrowth before I reached the site, our stone circle from last time still there. I barked at Joseph as he pushed through the brambles after me, swearing and cursing when the points cut at his skin. I barked at him again, twisting in a circle.

"I don't have fur, mutt," he said gruffly as he finally managed to push through the last of the brambles. He brushed off the bark and a couple of stray thorns that stuck to his skin, setting down the pack and rabbit by the ring of stones that we used for our fire. "Alright, let's get everything set up. You know the drill."

I barked in confirmation, trotting off to find some twigs as I'd been "trained" to do.

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 **I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Please, please, please review! And Happy belated Humpday! Hehe!**

 **ML out**


	24. Mercy

**HextheDaydreamer: I can't wait for you guys to read through the reveal; it isn't what you might expect it to be. (; And Spirit is learning more about being human, so who knows what the future will hold for her.**

 **Expendablesguest: I think it's funny how people keep thanking me for giving Spirit a break from everything. Am I really that hard on her? Lol!**

 **Guest: I'm glad you're enjoying the story!**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed the last chapter, and I hope you guys enjoy this one! Please please please review! Reviews let me know what you guys think of this story! Thanks!**

 **Enjoy this latest chapter of Spirit's Life! (:**

()()()()()()

Two hours later, we had a small fire going and food cooking over the flames while Joseph finished tying the hammock up between his two customary trees. I laid down by the warmth of the flames, giving a yawn before I started to clean my fur of bark and bits of grass.

"If only you had thumbs," Joseph grunted as he finished tying up the hammock. If only he knew.

He came over to me, sitting down on his customary log with a grunt before poking at the flames, sending up a couple of sparks. He took a radio out of his pocket and rested it on the ground between us, turning it on to one of the news stations as he spun the rabbit on the spit. The radio cackled to life, and I flicked my ears towards it as I placed my head on my paws.

We sat there until night began to fall, listening to the radio talking about nuclear warfare in Pakistan and enjoying the peace out the outside. I dozed by the fire, curled into a light ball. Joseph reached over to stroke my ears every now and again, not saying anything. He was a quiet man overall; he didn't talk unless he had something to say. After awhile, he took the roasted rabbit from the spit, and we shared it, Joseph handing me pieces of meat while he himself ate it off the bone; he wouldn't give me the bones after I'd almost choked on one during Thanksgiving. "Almost" because my healing factor had helped with making sure I didn't die; Joseph just thought that I had been way lucky.

As we ate and enjoyed the night, I started to feel . . . off. Something just didn't feel right. I started to pace and move further away from the fire. Even Joseph noticed my unease, whistling for me to come to him. Reluctantly, I did, sitting down by his side.

"What's up with you?" he asked, running a hand down my back in a soothing motion. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know," I wanted to say, but something definitely was off. Joseph stroked me a few more times before I pulled away and started pacing again, giving a few whimpers of confusion.

As the night wore on, the more I felt like something was wrong, but I didn't know with what. It wasn't until the radio cackled with a woman's voice later that night that I found out.

 _"Breaking news,"_ she started. _"We have just received news that a GI Joe unit has been stealing nuclear warheads from Pakistan. A military air strike has taken care of this unit, getting rid of these traitors to the United States . . . "_

I froze, hackles raising. No. No, no no. That couldn't be right. Even Joseph had frozen, looking at the radio in shock. He looked towards me.

"Shit," he whispered softly, hand going for the dogtags that still hung at his neck. My own had been removed before we'd come camping; they kept getting caught on roots and branches on previous trips, so Joseph was mindful to remove them anytime we went hiking or camping. I wish I had them now though; at least it would make things seem less real. Because my family couldn't be dead? Duke, Ripcord, Scarlet, Snake Eyes, Heavy Duty, Breaker . . . they couldn't be dead.

But deep down, I knew that it was true.

"Spirit," Joseph said gently. "Come here."

I looked at him, pain in my bicolored eyes. I took a step back, away from him, before turning and running into the woods. Without even thinking about it, I shifted into my wolf form, howling in anguish as it felt like my heart was breaking. Sure, I'd lost packmates before. Jean and the Professor, just to name a few. But this . . . this had been a massacre of almost my entire GI Joe team. Cold flashed in my chest, and I howled again, pushing Phoenix back as she started to rouse within me. I ran and ran and ran until my paws were bloody and I couldn't run anymore; I had to have gone at least more than ten miles or so. I finally collapsed, throwing my head back and giving one last, anguished howl, before I shifted into my human form, and wept.

()()()()()()

I woke as the sun started to come up over the trees, my muscles stiff and sore from my long run and the way I'd slept on the hard ground. I'd hoped that it had been a nightmare, but I knew that it hadn't been; I wouldn't have been in my human form otherwise. I slowly sat up, my face stiff from the salt of my tears where I'd cried for hours before I'd somehow managed to fall asleep.

Gone. They were all gone.

My heart felt hollow and empty, like someone had gone in and scooped everything out. I remember promising Duke and the others that I'd come to visit. Now, I wouldn't see them again. Fresh tears rolled down my cheeks, and I angrily wiped them away.

I was going to find out who'd done this to my packmates. And then, they were going to wish that they'd never been born.

()()()()()()

I managed to pull myself together about an hour later, finding the strength to shift back into my wolf form; I'd shift into my German shepherd form once I got close enough to Joseph.

Slowly, painfully, I made my way back the way I'd come, following my own scent trail; I don't think I'd have been able to make it back otherwise. I moved slowly, my paws still sore even though they'd healed last night. Evidence of how badly I'd ripped apart my paws was evident as I walked, passing by smears of blood and skin that I'd left over rocks and grass alike. I didn't really care though, the pain of my paws not even close to the pain in my heart. I was half-tempted to feel for Phoenix, let her take away that feeling of loss; I dismissed it almost as soon as I thought it. There was no way I'd put myself at Phoenix's mercy. Not ever. The last time that had happened, I'd gone feral, and Logan had had to make the choice of killing me. Thankfully, I'd been able to revive, though it had been a very small chance that I actually would. I'd been left with the guilt of having put Logan and the others in that position, as well as the black eye that Phoenix had so graciously bestowed upon me.

I snorted, pushing those thoughts from my mind and letting my instincts take over. With my instincts guiding me, I didn't have to feel or think about my human emotions. Sure, as a wolf, I'd had emotions because the scientists had gotten ahold of me, but they weren't nearly as complex or as difficult to control as the emotions of a human. I didn't even remember when I'd stopped thinking like a wolf, and started thinking more like a human. I didn't like it, yet I don't think I'd want it any differently. I snorted again. Too many human emotions.

I walked for what seemed like hours, but the sun was only just beginning to reach high noon when I came upon the campsite I'd left behind last night. I shifted into my German shepherd form before I pushed through the bracken, immediately heading towards Joseph, who was still sitting by the fire, as though he hadn't left. Judging by the circles under his eyes, he hadn't.

He looked up when he heard me, his shoulders sagging slightly with relief. "Hey Spirit," he said, reaching out a hand. I padded over to him, pushing my head under his hand with a soft whine as I sat down close to him, resting my head on his lap. He gently ran his hand down my back, continuing to do so as though the motion would prevent him from thinking. The fire had become a smoldering pile of ash, still radiating a bit of heat.

"You scared me, mutt," he said, eyes never leaving the ashes. "I heard a wolf howling, and I thought you were going to become its next meal." I flicked my ears guiltily as he talked. "I say we wrap up this trip early. For all we know, they're going to come after all Joes. And we need to prepare, just in case." He paused for a moment before continuing. "Then, we're going to kill the bastards who dared to frame the Joes."

I growled in agreement, hackles lifting slightly. Oh, they would die alright. And it wasn't going to be merciful.

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 **I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Please, please, please review! I hope you guys don't hate me too much for this chapter, and hopefully I'll have the next one up soon now that I'm out for the summer; however, I am taking summer classes and working, so I wouldn't get your hopes up too high. Fingers crossed, is all I can say. (;**

 **ML out**


	25. Newcomers

**HextheDaydreamer: Thanks! I'm glad you liked that part. (:**

 **Expendablesguest: Good to know I'm not too hard on her. (;**

 **harukadesu00: Thanks so much for your kind words! I'm really glad that you like Spirit!**

 **Guest: Not your fault! I know everyone's been busy. Thank you for reading and for your kind words!**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed the last chapter, and I hope you guys enjoy this one! Please please please review! Reviews let me know what you guys think of this story! Thanks! I am also so very sorry about the wait I put you guys through! Here's a longer chapter, so I hope that makes up for it!**

 **Enjoy this latest chapter of Spirit's Life! (:**

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We left shortly after that, Joseph putting the hammock away and snuffing out the remaining embers of the fire. Both of us were quiet as we walked back to where we'd left the car, having lost all of our enthusiasm for the trip. My tail hung low, ears back as I mourned, not really paying attention to where I was going, just letting my paws guide me. Joseph let me have the lead, his own quietness surrounded with an aura of sorrow that let me know he was mourning, too; after all, they were as much of a family to him as they had been for me. For someone to take those people away from us, for reasons currently unknown, was a violation of . . . everything, really. Innocents had been killed, and for what purpose? I was going to find out. Even if it got me killed. Again.

()()()()()()

We got home in record time; I guess Joseph was serious about wanting to prepare for battle in case it came. I had no qualms with it, just keeping out of the way as he gathered the guns in the house, one-by-one, to clean them. I wish I'd been able to help, but I didn't do guns. Ever. Why would I even have the need if I had an arsenal of deadly animals at my disposal?

I was quiet for the most of the time, the smell of oil and gunpowder filling the house until it was all I was able to smell. I kept to the dog bed Joseph had gotten me for Christmas, my dogtags once again secure around my neck; the familiar weight of them helped ease the grief that clenched at my heart like a vise. Every now and again, I'd look down to see the _Official Badass_ tag Duke and the others had had made for me, and grief would rip through me anew.

It had been a few days since we'd received news about what had happened to the Joes. In that time, Joseph managed to clean almost all the guns in the entire house. I'd been shocked at how many he had; I'd known from the smell of gunpowder and metal that there was a lot, but I'd never imagined he'd have _that_ many. There had to have been hundreds of guns. It almost made me wish I knew how to use one. Almost. I was still wary of the things, having been on the receiving end of them quite a few times, and I had almost no interest in learning how to use that kind of weapon; I'd rather use tooth and claw to make my point, not a ball of lead.

I was dozing on my bed — I had barely slept in the past couple of days — when I heard car doors shut outside. I growled a warning to Joseph, who was cleaning the last gun on the couch. He immediately rose, peeking out the window and swearing under his breath.

"Three of them," he murmured, heading towards the front door. He looked towards me and made a hand gesture. "Hide."

Without hesitation, I got up and moved to the closest, using my nose to push it open and slip inside. I heard Joseph doing something by the door, and then all was silent. I waited quietly, head down and legs tucked under me, ready to defend Joseph with my life if necessary.

I tensed at the knock on the door, stifling an instinctive growl. I remained motionless, not moving in case I made a noise. The door creaked open, and I flicked my ears when I heard guns being pulled from their holsters before the door was pushed open the rest of the way. My fangs bared into a soundless snarl, though I waited for Joseph's signal before I did anything. I knew that he would probably have a more subtle way of handling things instead of my brash way of just running into a fight; I'd been learning from him to wait and listen instead of attacking everything that moved.

Footprints echoed across the wooden floor of the entryway, dragging my attention away from my thoughts, and three separate scents managed to cut through the oil and gunpowder. However, all of three of them smelled exhausted and worn out. Now, why would mercenaries smell exhausted and worn out?

I returned my attention to what was happening once again, ears pricked. There was a soft thud as Joseph landed behind the intruders, and I jumped a little when I heard guns being cocked.

"I'll take two boxes of Thin Mints and a box of Chuckle Lucks. Lower your weapons," he said, giving a low whistle after he'd finished speaking. Immediately, I rose, pushing through the white doors that had been hiding me with a deep growl, hackles raised and fangs bared.

The three jumped when I came up behind them, debating on who to look at: the snarling German shepherd or the man with the gun. The woman finally faced me, the other two facing Joseph. The woman had dark, curly auburn hair, almost brown. Her clothes smelled of sweat, and I curled my lip slightly at the stink; not that the others smelled any better. One of the men almost looked like Heavy Duty, big and muscular with a tattoo on his left arm. He was also bald, and his skin was a dark tan, not black like Heavy Duty had been. The second man was shorter with black hair. When Joseph raised his eyebrows slightly, they finally began to holster their weapons.

"General Colton, if I may . . ." the woman started before Joseph interrupted.

"Shut your mouth, Brenda," he snapped, and I could tell that he was annoyed.

I snarled louder, daring them to make a move. The big man, the one who looked like Heavy Duty, turned to face me, a furrow in his brow.

"My name's not Brenda," the woman said, sounding confused. So was I, to be honest; she didn't looked like a Brenda to me.

"How'd you get in?" Joseph demanded, and I backed up his demand with another growl. Then again, he really should have been paying attention; they came in through the - apparently unlocked - front door.

"Apologizes," the big man said, still frowning at me. "Sir, I'm Sergeant Marvin -"

"I know who you are," Joseph interrupted again.

"Then you know why I'm here." The big man took off his backpack despite my warning growls, dumping its contents on the coffee table. Dogtags hit the wooden surface like firecrackers, and the smell of blood, sweat, and oil came off from them.

I looked towards them for a few moments before comprehension set in. I gave a low noise in the back of my throat that slowly became a howl of grief.

"It is you," the big man said softly, taking in the tags that resided around my own neck. "Duke said that you'd retired, but I never expected to see you here."

I looked over at the big man with sad, bicolored eyes.

"What are you talking about my dog for?" Joseph asked, finally tearing his eyes away from the pile of dogtags who's owners would never reclaim them.

"Spirit," the big man said, crouching down and holding out a hand. "She belonged to Duke and Ripcord before they joined the Joes; she was a bomb-sniffing dog. When he told me about her abilities, I didn't believe him, still don't to be honest."

"What abilities?" Joseph questioned suspiciously. I guiltily flicked my ears back. Oh boy. "Are you talking about her shapeshifting?"

I sat down, I was so startled. How in the Moon Goddess's name did he know?! He must have seen my expression because he gave a rough chuckle.

"I'm not stupid," he told me, finally holstering his gun; he must have deemed that the three weren't a threat. "I caught you in the living room one night; it's kind of hard to ignore the sound of breaking bones. Plus, Hawk may have given me a bit of a heads up after he left."

I growled in annoyance, ears still pinned. The balls on that man! The trio just looked confused, though the big man less than the others.

"Wait," the big man said, "you're telling me Duke wasn't pulling my chain?"

Joseph shrugged, motioning to me. "You may as well," he said. "It'll answer more questions than talking will."

I narrowed my eyes at him before giving a heavy sigh, standing up and rearing onto my hind legs. The shift didn't take long, thanks to the fact that I'd been practicing, and it thankfully didn't hurt as much. Bones cracked and reshaped themselves, muscle tearing and pulling. My fur thinned into fine hair on my arms and legs, almost nonexistent, while my fangs became flat and nonthreatening. My black and tan fur on my head changed into the color of mahogany as my spine became longer and I was able to stand fully on two legs.

Those in the room winced in sympathy as they watched my shift from dog to human before they hurriedly looked away, the men a little flushed. I rolled my eyes, running a hand through my hair.

"Humans are way to uncomfortable with nudity," I groused, crossing my arms in front of my breasts. "You were not born with clothes."

"Spirit, if you would . . . please," Joseph said, nodding towards the couch where a blanket laid over the back. I growled, but did as he asked, taking the blanket and wrapping it around myself.

"Happy?" I grumbled, the others turning to face me again.

"Much," Joseph said thankfully. The other three still looked a little shellshocked.

"Well, I guess Duke wasn't lying," the big man said, clearing his throat and running a hand over his bald dome.

"No," I said shortly. "Duke never lied."

The big man nodded in agreement. "I'm Roadblock," he said in greeting, nodding to his companions. "This is Lady Jaye and Flint."

They both nodded to me in greeting, and I dipped my head towards them in turn.

"Snake Eyes talked a lot about you," Lady Jaye told me. "Well, talked in the loose sense of things. I didn't know your name was Spirit though; he always called you Timber."

I snorted in laughter. "Because I fell a lot when he trained me," I replied, remembering the word Scarlet had used when Snake Eyes had addressed me while we'd trained, after I'd taken at least fifty spills that day.

Lady Jaye gave a small smile. "Everyone falls a lot when they train with Snake Eyes," she said in amusement. I chuckled, nodding.

"Well, if this cheery reunion is done, why don't you three explain what you're doing here," Joseph said. It wasn't a question.

()()()()()()

 **I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Please, please, please review! Hope that you guys liked the reveal, and I hope that I'll have the next chapter up sooner than when I had this one up! Hehe!**

 **ML out**


	26. Made to Save

**I'm so so so so so so so so so sorry I made you guys wait so long! I hope the length makes up for it; life just got the best of me and I've been struggling to keep my head above water these past few weeks. Again, I'm really sorry for not updating sooner. I hope you guys can forgive me! Thanks to all those who reviewed last chapter; I was really happy to have a few new faces review as well. (: Enjoy the latest chapter of Spirit's Life!**

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"It's not like I don't hear what you're saying."

Joseph paced the room, thinking after listening to the Joes' story. I certainly didn't get what they were saying. Some man had disguised himself as the humans' Alpha and was trying to . . . what? Take over the world? But, he'd had my packmates killed; that couldn't be forgiven easily. That's probably why I ignored all the technicalities of what they were saying; I just wanted to know who I could bite and where. I'd shifted back into my German shepherd form shortly after the Joes had started to tell their story, and I kept shifting restlessly on my bed as I watched them. My paws itched, and I just needed something to do.

While the others were talking, I finally just rose, too agitated to just sit and listen to all of them talk; I never had been a talker. Or a listener, for that matter. I exited the room, heading for the back door. With a simple, practiced ease, I opened the door with my jaws, using my nose to help me push it open before I slipped outside into the fresh, twilight air. The backyard was actually pretty spacious, filled with trees and a neatly manicured lawn with just as neatly trimmed bushes. I made my way for the doghouse that sat in the back; Joseph had made it for me when he'd found that I preferred staying outside sometimes. I still went out a few times a week to just lay under the Goddess's skies, feeling Her light on my fur. I kept to my German shepherd form, since it wouldn't do to scare the neighbors with the sight of a wolf in Joseph's backyard.

I heaved a sigh, slipping into the doghouse before turning around and resting my head on my paws as the faint light of the moon started to shine from the slowly darkening sky. It was a full moon, that much I took notice of. I could still hear faint arguments from inside, but I tried not to pay too much attention to them; I couldn't exactly trust these people yet. I knew that a friend of Duke's should have been a friend of mine, but I still felt a little rusty after over a year in retirement. As much as I wanted to avenge my packmates, I didn't want to get them killed because I forgot something. I snorted, flicking my ears back before looking back up at the skies.

 _You're making excuses,_ I grumbled to myself before frowning mentally. _But excuses for what?_ I raised my head from my paws, eyes still on the full moon as it grew stronger in light. Why was I all of the sudden making excuses for not wanting to fight for the Joes? Not being friends with someone hadn't stopped me before. I rose and gave myself a fierce shake, turning a couple of circles before I laid down again, mostly hidden in the shadows of my doghouse.

A cold warmth spread through my gut, and I snarled a warning.

 _I don't have time for you,_ I mentally snapped, tucking my head to nip at my chest, as though that would prevent Phoenix from trying to take advantage of my distracted thoughts. _Leave me alone!_

 _It's hard to do that when all you think about is me._

I jerked upright, hitting my head on the roof of the house. I snarled, using a paw to pat at my throbbing head, before I glared down at my chest. _You have no right!_

 _I have every right,_ Phoenix replied smoothly. This was the first time Phoenix had actually spoken to me from within my own thoughts; the last time I'd "spoken" with her had been inside of Jean's head, when she'd threatened that she'd make me pay for destroying her. Which she had by making me go feral and forcing the X-Men to kill me. I was actually a little surprised, and frightened, by the fact that she sounded like Jean.

 _You have no right!_ I repeated angrily. I heard her sigh in my head, faint, like she was just barely there.

 _Don't be rash, puppy,_ she mocked bitterly. _I have no interest in taking over. Not today, at least._

 _Then why taunt me?_ I asked with a soundless snarl, baring my fangs at my furred chest. _Why bother interfering at all?_

 _The reason for your excuses is because you are afraid,_ Phoenix told me, her mocking voice grating.

 _I am not afraid of anything,_ I snapped back.

Phoenix chuckled faintly in my head, and the coldness in my chest seemed to pulse with her voice. _Oh, puppy,_ she said, her voice almost genuinely sad and disappointed. _You are so much more afraid than you care to admit. You fear losing these people, as you've lost everything else. You fear being alone, despite what you tell yourself at night. You fear me, of course, despite all your bravo. And, finally, you fear being abandoned by your pack. Again._

Images started to come up to my mind this time, brought up by Phoenix. I caught glimpses of my packmates. Real ones this time. Wolf pups tumbled around me as we played, a mated pair watching us on top. The image changed, to gunshots and blood. The wolf pups ran, leaving me, the runt, on my own. I tried to follow, but it was too late, as a merciless hand grabbed my scruff and threw me into a bag.

"Enough!" I screamed, not even realizing that I'd changed into my human form. I punched a fist towards the ground, needing something, anything, to get my thoughts away from my past.

A gentle fist closed over my own before it made contact against the stone pathway. I looked towards the owner, tears streaming down my face. Joseph knelt down beside me, still holding my fist.

"You want to talk about it?" he asked calmly, resting his other hand on my shoulder as they shook with silent sobs.

When I shook my head, he just pulled me close and let me cry on his shoulder without saying another word.

()()()()()()

When I finally managed to pull myself back together, I ran a hand down my tear streaked face, sniffling like a pup with a cold. I didn't care though, too hollow and empty to care. Phoenix was beating me down, bit by bit. I didn't know how much longer I'd be able to hold out against her.

Joseph didn't utter a word the entire time I cried, not even mentioning the fact that I was once again naked. He helped me to stand once I was done and leading me into the house. He fixed tea, chamomile if the sweet flowery scent was anything to go off of, before making me sit on the couch next to him.

"Now," he said, taking a sip of his own tea, "do you want to talk?"

I gave a half-hearted scoff, tasting my tea. The gentle scent helped to soothe my nerves, and I slowly began to relax. "How much do you know about my past?" I asked him flatly, eyes on the yellowish liquid in my cup as I held it between my chilled hands. I took note of how the trio of Joes from earlier were gone, probably off trying to do something about the imposter President.

"Most of it," Joseph admitted. "Hawk gave me your entire file, though I think some of it were guesses based on how choppy it was. I know that you fought with the mutants in San Francisco, though you were never physically there; he said something about you having some kind of debilitating mental thing going on, and it still effects you, or something along those lines."

"You could say that," I started before giving a deep breath. Then, I told him the whole story.

()()()()()()

Joseph listened without interrupting, sipping periodically from his tea when I did. When I finally finished, we'd both gone through about three cups of tea, though I knew that he probably desperately wanted a beer. But, for my sake, he stuck with tea.

"Sounds like you went through the ringer," he finally said once I finally fell silent, finishing with my episode of what had happened outside.

"I guess you could say that," I said softly, tapping a fingernail against the edge of my empty cup. Joseph had dropped a blanket over my shoulders when he'd refilled our cups, and I'd pulled it around me to hide my nakedness; not that I was ashamed, of course.

"So, this Phoenix character thinks that you are making excuses because you don't want to lose anyone else?"

When I nodded, Joseph slammed down his mug, hard enough that I jumped, startled. "Well, bullshit," he said, eyes growing hard. "We all lose people, Spirit. Hell, people die everyday. Whether they be mutant or human or alien; everyone dies. I bet even you'll die, someday, despite what you might believe. You can't stop everyone from dying; no one can, and no one should. I'm afraid of losing people anytime I step out of this house. I could die climbing those mountains every time I go hiking, or anytime I get into a car. I could accidentally kill someone at night with my car as they're crossing the road. Not doing something isn't going to save lives, Spirit. Doing nothing at all sure as hell isn't going to save lives. And you staying here, mopping, will only make you miserable."

I stayed quietly, letting his words sink in. "You're right," I finally said, chewing on my lower lip. "I have been afraid of losing more people, especially after the Joes. I just . . . I just don't want to lose anyone else."

Joseph snorted, rolling his eyes. "And that's a load of bull," he snapped. "I won't sugarcoat it: you will lose someone else, probably more than one person. But would you rather sit here, having an uninteresting life? Or would you rather be out actually making something of yourself? You can't sit here like a dog for the rest of your days; you need to get off of your ass and do what you were made to do."

I raised my hands in exasperation. "Which is what, Joe?" I asked him, snapping back. "The scientists made me to kill."

He startled me when he started to shake his head. "That's where you're wrong, Sprite," he said easily as he stood up. "You were made to save."

()()()()()()

 **I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Please, please, please review! Again, sorry for the wait, and I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as I am able.**

 **ML out**


	27. Vortex

**So so so so so sorry for the wait you guys! I've been so busy with school and work and everything else that comes with life. Please forgive me!**

 **I hope all of you guys have been well! Welcome to some of the newest followers of Spirit's Life! I'm glad to see I haven't scared any of you off. Anyway, I have finally finished Spirit's Life 2! Spirit's Life 3 will be appearing shortly and hopefully with much more frequency.**

 **And now, please enjoy the long awaited next chapter of Spirit's Life!**

()()()()()()

Joe and I spoke for a few more hours before we both went to bed, needing to prepare ourselves for the battle ahead. I went back outside to sleep, needing the cool air going through my fur. I even went as far as to risk sleeping in my wolf form, needing that comfort. I went to sleep that night curled in my little shelter, expecting to wake up and prepare for battle. But, as we all know, my life is never that simple.

I woke up to find myself in a forest. The sun was shining weakly through the loosely woven tree branches overhead, and the grass was cool under my paws. I scented the air, trying to determine where I was, but I found nothing but the natural scents of a forest. I knew that I was probably dreaming, but it felt very real.

I got to my paws and looked around me, taking note that I was in a divot in the ground surrounded by smooth rocks, the underneath of one creating a deep cave. A strange sense of deja vu came over me as I padded towards the cave, sniffing at the ground. Chills went down my spine as I caught a very familiar scent: my own.

But this wasn't just any old scent. This was my original scent, mine from when I'd been a pup. I sneezed to clear out my nose before sniffing again, wondering if I'd been mistaken. Again, the scent of young wolf pup and milk met my nose. I sat down heavily in confusion, ears flicked towards the cave.

"Do you know where you are, _Dukh neslykhannoy luny zvezd nebes_?"

I flinched at the sound of my full name, turning to see whom had spoken. _Dukh neslykhannoy luny zvezd nebes_ was only part of my true name, the rest of it being said more with feeling and sound than words. But the wolf that I was looking at had it pretty close.

My tail immediately went between my legs, my fur standing on end and my ears tucked tightly against my skull as I made myself as submissive as possible in front of the massive black wolf that was lounging on one of the rocks that surrounded the hollow in the ground. I stayed like that until the wolf spoke again, this time in the language of wolves. Wolves spoke through noises and body language, not a physical tongue.

"Do you know where you are?" the male asked with a few growls and a complicated series of flicks of his ears.

"Home," I replied with a twitch of my nose. Though our conversation was without actual words, the full meaning was understandable.

The black wolf dipped his head in response. "Correct."

"Why have you brought me here?"

"Because it is time for you to realize your purpose."

I flicked my ears in confusion, sitting down but still keeping my eyes lowered and my body submissive. "I have no real purpose. Not as a wolf. I am . . . no longer true wolf."

The black snarled at me, and I whimpered as I laid down on the ground and turned so that my throat and belly were exposed. I felt the impact as he leapt down from his rock, stalking over to me. I whined softly as he placed his fangs over my throat, applying pressure so that I couldn't move.

"You are wolf," the black growled. "You are more than wolf. You are vast, like the trees that shelter us and the creatures that feed us."

I didn't move a muscle, didn't utter a sound. Only when the black wolf removed his fangs from my neck did I roll over onto my belly and reply. "I am confused," I said, nose twitching.

The black swatted me on the head. "Of course you are!" he snapped. "You are a pup!"

The growl that came up from my throat came so without my permission. I hastily swallowed it, but couldn't help the annoyance in my voice as I stated, "I am well over a hundred years old!"

"And I am over a thousand!"

That shut me up.

"What do you mean?" I demanded, forgetting my place once more as I started to rise. "That is not possible!"

The black snarled at me, and I lowered myself back down to the ground, ears pinned. "How is it possible for you to shapeshift and heal yourself? How is it possible for you to be a hundred years old?" he replied in turn. "The gods have certain fates for us. Ours do not follow the natural course of things."

"And what was your fate?" I asked, keeping my eyes lowered as I slowly inched up into a sitting position. He didn't reprimanded me for doing so, and I even dared to cast a quick look up at him, careful not to meet his burning yellow eyes.

"My fate was, and still is, to be a mentor to those who have a different fate," the black responded. "You are such a wolf."

"How?" I questioned. "I am so confused. I do not understand what it is you want from me."

"Right now, I wish for you to understand your purpose," the black growled. "How you will fulfill that purpose will come later."

"Alright, then what is my purpose? I thought that I was doing a pretty fine job of helping people," I remarked, earning myself a swat to the nose. I yipped in surprise and sneezed from the impact. I glared at him, which he ignored.

"Your purpose, Spirit of the Moon, is not to help people," the black scolded. "It is to kill one very bad one."

Confusion ripped through me, and I expected a familiar cold touch in my chest, but none was there. I frowned — as much as a wolf can frown — and looked down at myself.

"The Phoenix Force has no power here, not where I am King," the black said proudly, puffing out his chest. "She may help you or She may hinder you. Honestly, I was hoping that you wouldn't be stupid enough to make an alliance with Her, not until you knew more about what your purpose is."

"It's not like I have a manual," I growled back. I didn't appreciate being scolded like a pup and I finally stood up fully, growling softly. The black growled back in warning, but I ignored him.

"Do not test me, pup," the black warned. "You have much to learn yet."

"Then teach me something," I snarled before leaping for his throat.

Admittedly, it wasn't my smartest move ever. I'd learned too many bad habits from both X-Men and Joes alike, and I had forgotten what it was like to fight a much older wolf.

The black barely had to raise a paw to pin me down to the ground by the throat. I snarled and squirmed, my earlier fear of this large wolf vanishing. I'd been reacting out of instinct before. Now, I was following my other instincts, the ones I'd learned from being human. I tried to shift into something larger than the black wolf, but I couldn't.

"Your abilities do not work here," the black said, pressing down harder on my throat until black spots appeared in my eyes from lack of air. "Now, will you make yourself pass out or will you finish listening to me?"

I admit, I actually debated just passing out. Maybe then I'd wake up and be able to help the Joes in their upcoming battle. As the darkness began to grow over my eyes, I finally just nodded and the paw released from my throat. I hacked and coughed as I rolled over onto all fours, shaking the dust from my fur.

"Now then," the black wolf said as though I hadn't just had my ass-whooped, "your purpose."

"Is apparently not what I've been doing," I snapped back. "You already said that."

"No, I said that your purpose is not to help people," he replied. "I did not said that you couldn't help people; it's just not your sole purpose."

"And my sole purpose in the entire world is to kill one person?" I demanded. When the black nodded, I scoffed. "And what person do you want me to kill? Matter of fact, why do I have to kill this person?"

"His name is Gideon Cain, though he calls himself Vortex."

I'd never heard the name before, but a deep, aching chill wrapped itself around entire body. I instinctively pinned my ears back, hackles raising; I felt like I wanted to sink my fangs into something. The black nodded slightly.

"I see that you feel it. That instinct to kill, that instinct that this person needs to die. That is good," the black said. "Vortex is a being with incredible powers. He rips holes through realities, though dimensions, through other worlds. He controls the past, present, and future. Vortex has killed millions without anyone knowing it. He uses villains from other worlds to do his dirty work for him. You've already met two of them: Magneto and the Cobra Commander. Vortex is searching for you."

Chills ran up my body again as I recalled what the dead man had told me, _"He searches for you. He searches for the wolf who hides as a man. You stand in his way; he will find you."_

I growled softly at the memory, shaking my head. "What does this Vortex want with me? I haven't even met him!"

"Are you really that ignorant?!" the black snapped angrily. "What else would he want with you?! He wants to kill you, you idiotic pup!"

I growled at the insults, hackles raising once more. "I haven't done anything to him!"

"You are destined to either kill him or die by his hand," the black said. "That is your purpose. You defeated him once with Magneto, and again when you assisted with the taking down of Cobra Commander with the Joes. He wishes to find you and destroy you before you destroy him."

"How am I supposed to find a man that can literally be anywhere or nowhere in the universe?! Matter of fact, why should I believe you? For all I know, this is some kind of dream. Ask a stronger mutant. I'm not the one you are looking for."

I started to turn away, wanting out of this nightmare, when something hit me heavily in the ribs. I yelped when I felt a couple of them crack, rolling against the hard ground. I tried to scramble to my paws as the black charged me again, hitting me in the side and sending me tumbling until I hit the rocks that surrounded the divot. I squealed as I felt something else break, probably a leg. The black rushed me for a third time, and I instinctively lashed out with tooth and claw. The black pulled back with a howl of pain, and I was shocked to see that I'd actually clawed him across the nose, bright red blood staining his fur. I got to my feet while he was distracted, wincing when I was unable to put weight on my hind right leg. I tucked it close to my belly, growling a challenge to the black male. The male growled back with his sides wheezing, and it took me a second to realize that he was laughing!

"Ah, there is the fighter," he said, sitting down and licking the blood from his nose. I growled angrily at him, staying standing. "I knew that you had it in you."

"Of course I'm a fighter!" I barked.

"Then act like it!" he roared back, all traces of humor gone. "Vortex has killed everyone else that has come after him. You are the last to be sent."

"Comforting," I snarled. He snarled back.

"Either way, you can either kill him or die by his hand."

"And how am I supposed to find him? Or kill him if others couldn't?!"

"You'll know when the time comes," the black replied as he stood up and trotted back to his rock, leaping up onto it. I limped after him, fangs bared in annoyance. I felt like I was chasing my own tail, talking to this wolf!

"How am I supposed to know?!"

"The same way you knew that you had to join the military to get away from the X-Men."

That stopped me short. I looked at the black in confusion, trying to figure out what he was playing at. My head hurt from trying to follow what was going on; for all I knew, this was still just some very bad dream.

"Your paws will lead you to where you need to go," the black wolf said calmly as he laid down on his rock, his front paws crossing over each other. "When he jumps between worlds, you will find a way to follow him. Your predecessors did. Use what you have, _Dukh neslykhannoy luny zvezd nebes._ You will gather new friends and enemies in your journey. You will also lose so much, friends and family. You were not granted an easy purpose, I will admit that. I will assist when I can, but my role in your purpose is to be limited. I was only able to speak to you now about Vortex because he is closing in on you, and you deserved to know what is to come."

"What about the Joes?" I asked.

"Their battle was fought without you," the black responded, ignoring my enraged growl at his words. "You need to move on from them before Vortex tracks you down. Return to what is normal for you."

I scoffed. "Nothing is _normal_ for me!" I snapped. "I doubt anything is ever going to be normal for me again!"

"Now I can agree with you there," the black said smugly. "Oh, and I've taken the liberty of moving you to where you need to go next. Your Joes will do just fine without you; it's in the script."

"Wait, what do you mea-?" I started when everything just went dark.

()()()()()()

 **Hope you guys enjoyed the latest chapter! Please please please review, even though I know I'm horrible at updating. Reviews make me post faster because I have more motivation! Thanks guys!**

 **Oh, and please take a guess at where Spirit is going to end up next!**


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